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Genero36
Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 11188
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Posted: 03/26/19 11:02 am ::: |
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pilight wrote: |
All charges against Smollett dropped |
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Smollett's attorneys, Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes, issued the following statement Tuesday:
"Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement."
"Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result. |
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/jussie-smollett-in-court-today-emergency-court-appearance-live-updates-2019-03-26/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab5i&linkId=65302091&fbclid=IwAR3cGrMWDXVgE5qfTITeoyK26HywU3dU9FapdltG3LAybmfs72xEFeUkV3w
_________________ I'm all for the separation of church and hate.
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Genero36
Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 11188
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Genero36
Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 11188
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jammerbirdi
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 21046
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Posted: 03/26/19 12:46 pm ::: |
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The press conference on now by the police chief and Mayor Emanuel is raw. I thought both came close to tears for a second. Never seen anything like this. Ever. In American justice.
Rahm: This is a whitewash of justice. There is no justice. No one will ever trust the legal system again. There is no accountability in the legal system. (Paraphrasing) Mr Smullett is still maintaining his innocence, still running down the Chicago police department. How dare him? This is a person who has been let off scot free. Is there no decency in this man?
We will never see the evidence. It’s been sealed._________________ Every woman who has ever been presented with a career/sex quid pro quo in the entertainment industry should come forward and simply say, “Me, too.” - jammer The New York Times 10/10/17
Last edited by jammerbirdi on 03/26/19 12:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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GlennMacGrady
Joined: 03 Jan 2005 Posts: 8289 Location: Heisenberg
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Posted: 03/26/19 12:55 pm ::: |
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I've never been interested in this case, other than for the usual highly-agended and over-the-top media reactions, but just saying the charges were dropped is too simplistic.
The charges were nolle prossed (nolle prosequi). This is a type of dismissal that can allow the charges to be re-filed at a later date, although that usually doesn't happen, and which can allow the person's criminal record to be expunged. In this case, Smollett has already voluntarily performed community service, which would have been part of a typical sentence for a first time offender, and agreed to forfeit his $10,000 bond to the City of Chicago, which is the economic equivalent of a fine.
Hence, without knowing more, I see this as a favorably lawyered deal, which is better for Smollett than a plea deal. He doesn't have to plead guilty, he gets his criminal record expunged, but he pays the same penalty price that he probably would have paid if he had plead guilty, as a first time offender, to the gussied-up but relatively minor charge of filing a false police report: community service and a fine.
None of this means he wasn't guilty of what the police alleged.
Here is how the Chicago District Attorney just characterized the situation:
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First Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Magats said the decision to drop the charges should not be interpreted that Smollett did not do what police and prosecutors have alleged — pay his assailants to fake the attack and then falsely report the incident to police.
Nor did dropping the charges mean that Smollett was a victim of a crime, Magats said emphatically.
“Absolutely not. We stand behind the CPD investigation done in this case, we stand behind the approval of charges in this case,” Magats told the Sun-Times. “They did a fantastic job. The fact there was an alternative disposition in this case is not and should not be viewed as some kind of admission there was something wrong with the case, or something wrong with the investigation that the Chicago Police did.”
Magats, who became the final decision maker on the case after State’s Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself in mid-February, said prosecutors made the decision to drop the charges against Smollett under the same criteria they would any other defendant.
“It’s a nonviolent crime. He has no felony criminal background. If you start looking at the disposition in the case, in every case you need to look at the facts and circumstances of the case, and the defendant’s background.” |
I believe there's still a federal FBI investigation going on against Smollett about potential mail fraud regarding the letter. |
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Genero36
Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 11188
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Posted: 03/26/19 1:04 pm ::: |
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<embed><iframe width="980" height="551" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-uhnsO-br8c" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></embed>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uhnsO-br8c
_________________ I'm all for the separation of church and hate.
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Genero36
Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 11188
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Posted: 03/26/19 1:46 pm ::: |
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<embed><iframe width="980" height="551" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lgh-3cLyCHE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></embed>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgh-3cLyCHE
_________________ I'm all for the separation of church and hate.
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 9816
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jammerbirdi
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 21046
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Posted: 03/26/19 4:09 pm ::: |
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I would go as far to say that in somewhere around five or ten years’ time this person’s public presence will be rehabilitated to the point where this incident and how he was wronged will be what he actually utilizes to build a career on as a social justice warrior icon. His notoriety and name will be the attraction he offers to networks and publishers, and he will find a calling speaking on college campuses and a seat as a pundit on left-leaning cable news. It might take awhile. But there will be an audience for that message if there isn’t one already._________________ Every woman who has ever been presented with a career/sex quid pro quo in the entertainment industry should come forward and simply say, “Me, too.” - jammer The New York Times 10/10/17 |
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jammerbirdi
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 21046
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Posted: 03/26/19 4:28 pm ::: |
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This is part of a statement from the state's attorney's office.
"The decision to drop the charges should not be interpreted that Smollett did not do what police and prosecutors have alleged."_________________ Every woman who has ever been presented with a career/sex quid pro quo in the entertainment industry should come forward and simply say, “Me, too.” - jammer The New York Times 10/10/17 |
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Stonington_QB
Joined: 05 Jul 2013 Posts: 756 Location: Siege Perilous
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Posted: 03/26/19 5:39 pm ::: |
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I'll never believe a single accusation of a hate crime ever again. From anyone. Not unless it was caught on video and there was undeniable proof that those people weren't paid by the accuser.
I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with everything Rahm Emanuel is saying. About the two tiers of justice and the university remarks.
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Luuuc #NATC
Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 21999
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Posted: 03/26/19 6:29 pm ::: |
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jammerbirdi wrote: |
"The decision to drop the charges should not be interpreted that Smollett did not do what police and prosecutors have alleged." |
Complete and Total EXONERATION
_________________ Thanks for calling. I wait all night for calls like these.
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Howee
Joined: 27 Nov 2009 Posts: 15765 Location: OREGON (in my heart)
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PUmatty
Joined: 10 Nov 2004 Posts: 16393 Location: Chicago
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Posted: 03/26/19 8:15 pm ::: |
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jammerbirdi wrote: |
Rahm: This is a whitewash of justice. There is no justice. No one will ever trust the legal system again. There is no accountability in the legal system. (Paraphrasing) Mr Smullett is still maintaining his innocence, still running down the Chicago police department. How dare him? This is a person who has been let off scot free. Is there no decency in this man? |
This from the man who helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald.
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jammerbirdi
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 21046
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Posted: 03/26/19 8:41 pm ::: |
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Luuuc wrote: |
jammerbirdi wrote: |
"The decision to drop the charges should not be interpreted that Smollett did not do what police and prosecutors have alleged." |
Complete and Total EXONERATION |
HahahahaNOPE.
This had me confused for a while. I'm watching Rahm and the chief calling Jussie a liar and hoaxer, and they are government officials, when other government officials had dropped all charges against him, which, in pretty much any reality prior to the last 4 days would be considered exoneration by anyone facing serious charges. If an investigator found no evidence or not enough evidence to charge you with a crime then that is it. There are no prosecutor's job duties that include exoneration or exonerating or anything else. But, again, I digress.
But how could the mayor and police chief stand there and impune a private citizen and tell the world that he's guilty of these crimes at the same time all charges had been dropped? I mean, without a lawsuit as big as Lake Michigan coming right back at them. I'm like, okay, this is a day when I'm seeing things I've never seen before, and this is fucking seriously one of them. You can't stand up there and call a guy a criminal!
But here's why they could. Because the prosecutor IS maintaining that there was nothing in the indictments that was incorrect, the police did absolutely nothing wrong. The guy did it. The charges were dropped because the priority of the CPD and prosecutors office is fighting VIOLENT crime and this was not a case of violent crime, AND Smollett had done some community service and forfeited his 10k bond money. So Smollett can't come back at the mayor and chief for their public statements because, heh heh, it ain't slander if it's true.
I have to say this, just to add some jammer juice to the whole affair, but if you've SEEN the guy who made the 'decision' Maget or whatever his name is, he looks like he'd had the proverbial gun to his head. He could not have looked more guilty. Like it wasn't really his decision. He would take the fall because they caught him doing something or promised not to deport his mother-in-law. Or promised TO deport his mother-in-law. Sumpin' fishy there._________________ Every woman who has ever been presented with a career/sex quid pro quo in the entertainment industry should come forward and simply say, “Me, too.” - jammer The New York Times 10/10/17 |
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justintyme
Joined: 08 Jul 2012 Posts: 8407 Location: Northfield, MN
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Posted: 03/26/19 10:39 pm ::: |
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So basically what happened is what I figured was the likely outcome--other than that he avoided the plea completely. But as much as people were outraged, this was a relatively minor offense that he was charged with, and he was not facing all that much legal jeopardy.
This is very similar to pre-trial diversion programs that exist all over the place for non-violent, low-level offenses like this where the person is a first time offender and they feel the chances of recidivism are extremely low. The social cost to his reputation, and likely the fiscal cost of employment opportunities is what it going to hurt him the most from this.
And for someone in Jussie's position, that's not insignificant.
_________________ ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA
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justintyme
Joined: 08 Jul 2012 Posts: 8407 Location: Northfield, MN
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Posted: 03/27/19 5:07 am ::: |
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And that statement from Smollett's family is total horseshit. If what they were saying was true, you can be 100% certain that Jussie's elite legal team would be suing the city for slander and defamation. The fact that they aren't bring suit tells you all you need to know about what is in that sealed file.
_________________ ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA
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jammerbirdi
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 21046
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Posted: 03/27/19 5:43 am ::: |
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Well the guy who made the decision, Magat, and I heard him say this in an interview I'm sure many of you will see or have seen, said, "I decided"
He was asked did he believe Smollett was innocent of the charges.
"No, I do not."
Does he believe Smollett is guilty of the charges?
"Yes, I do."
So there you have it from the person who dropped the charges. At least we now know. Sealed evidence or not. Fucker did it. And honestly, in this way, he denied himself a trial. He spared himself further punishment. But now the city of Chicago can say anything they want about him._________________ Every woman who has ever been presented with a career/sex quid pro quo in the entertainment industry should come forward and simply say, “Me, too.” - jammer The New York Times 10/10/17 |
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Genero36
Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 11188
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jammerbirdi
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 21046
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Posted: 03/27/19 11:55 am ::: |
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Chicago Tribune: Kim Foxx Cleans Jussie Smollett Up the Chicago Way
Foxx isn’t saying much. She hasn’t said much at all since it was learned that she’d been contacted about Smollett by lawyer Tina Tchen, Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff.
Tchen reportedly wanted Foxx’s help to lobby the Chicago Police Department and police Superintendent. Eddie Johnson. It didn’t work.
Foxx was out over her skis on that one, completely out of her depth. She was compromised and was compelled to recuse herself in the case.
Now that Robert Mueller is free, I wonder if he could subpoena Foxx to ask if Michelle and Barack like to watch “Empire,” the TV show that made Smollett famous.
Toni Preckwinkle, Foxx’s political patron and candidate for mayor of Chicago, doesn’t have much to say either. Too bad.
Because Preckwinkle did more than merely help Foxx get elected. Preckwinkle is not only the president of the Cook County Board. She’s chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party.
But to be a true boss, Toni needed the prosecutor’s office for real leverage. And Kim Foxx was made.
“I’m not a lawyer and I’m not the state’s attorney,” Preckwinkle said Tuesday when asked about Foxx’s decision at a mayoral debate. “I think it’s really important that the state’s attorney be allowed to provide a fuller explanation as time goes on.”
As time goes on? Really? What about now, Toni?
You elected her. She’s your political creation. She’s not your hand, but she is your muscle. And time’s running out for talking, Toni.
After Foxx had to recuse herself from the case for playing Obama Celebrity Friends, Joseph Magats, the first assistant state’s attorney, took over.
“The fact that (Smollett) feels we have exonerated him, we have not,” Magats told the Tribune. “I can’t make it any clearer.”
You can’t make it any clearer? Well, I can’t make this any clearer.
Smollett is a star. Your boss jammed herself up some way we don’t know about. But she jammed herself. And so, you cut him a deal.
_________________ Every woman who has ever been presented with a career/sex quid pro quo in the entertainment industry should come forward and simply say, “Me, too.” - jammer The New York Times 10/10/17 |
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Genero36
Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 11188
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Posted: 03/27/19 1:33 pm ::: |
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Osundairo Bros Clam Up ... Lawyer Quits
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The 2 brothers who allegedly faked the homophobic and racist "attack" against Jussie Smollett will not go public and stand by their claim it was all staged ... and we've learned their lawyer has quit as a result.
Moments after Jussie was cleared by the State's Attorney, the lawyer for Abel and Ola urged them to make a public statement, standing by their claim Jussie faked the "attack." We're told they refused, and ultimately their lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, bailed on them, saying she didn't want to rep them anymore. |
https://www.tmz.com/2019/03/27/osundairo-brothers-clam-up-about-jussie-smollett/
Were they paid off?
_________________ I'm all for the separation of church and hate.
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jammerbirdi
Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 21046
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Posted: 03/27/19 2:26 pm ::: |
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I’m telling you, just look at that guy’s face and demeanor and body language in the interview where he explains why he dropped the charges. He ain’t even trying to sell it. _________________ Every woman who has ever been presented with a career/sex quid pro quo in the entertainment industry should come forward and simply say, “Me, too.” - jammer The New York Times 10/10/17 |
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 9816
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Posted: 03/27/19 3:06 pm ::: |
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Who is paying for the Nigerian brothers lawyer as they don’t appear to have the resources?
Someone said that there was no report of a specific deal worked out with the brothers and the DA and they may have refused to cooperate in the Smollett trial. Another theory is that they weren’t gonna punish Smollett beyond a fine and community service anyway and didn’t want to waste the effort.
But it is good for the DA that she is elected, because the mayor is not happy. And it turns out that George Soros was one of two entities that contributed to a Kim Foxx election SuperPAC for some reason, and that has people (particularly on the right) talking “strings pulled”. And Smollett campaigning with Kamala Harris also is cited as a possible “get out of jail card”. There is also some connection between a Michelle Obama chief of staff and the DA and Smollett's sister.
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Genero36
Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 11188
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GlennMacGrady
Joined: 03 Jan 2005 Posts: 8289 Location: Heisenberg
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Posted: 06/21/19 2:02 pm ::: |
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Judge To Appoint Special Prosecutor To Jussie Smollett Case; Prosecutor Could Reinstate Charges
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A Cook County judge has ruled a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate the Jussie Smollett case, saying Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx had no authority to hand it off to her top deputy after announcing she recused herself.
A special prosecutor would be allowed to bring new charges against the “Empire” actor if there are “reasonable grounds” to do so, Judge Michael Toomin ruled. |
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