Charges dropped against Jussie Smollett after 'emergency' court appearance
Jussie Smollett made an 'emergency' court appearance on Tuesday, where 16 felony charges against him were dropped. The actor was previsously accoused of filing a false police report after allegedly staging a hate crime against himself.
The mayor and police chief blasted the decision and stood by the investigation that concluded Smollett staged a hoax. A visibility angry Mayor Rahm Emmanuel called it "a whitewash of justice" and lashed out at Smollett. He asked, "Is there no decency in this man?"
Smollett's attorneys said his record had "been wiped clean" of the 16 felony counts related to making a false report that he was assaulted by two men. The actor insisted that he had "been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one."
"I would not be my mother's son if I was capable of one drop of what I was being accused of," he told reporters after a court hearing. He thanked the state of Illinois "for attempting to do what's right."
It was not immediately clear what prompted the decision to dismiss the case. In a statement, the Cook County prosecutors' office offered no detailed explanation.