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Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office released more than 3,000 pages of emails and texts about the Jussie Smollett case. Here are a few highlights from the text messages:
1) Foxx’s recusal
Foxx had informally recused herself from the Smollett case in February but appeared to still offer her opinion about how many charges were brought against Smollett in March. In these messages, Foxx described the 16 counts filed against the “Empire” actor, whom police had accused of staging an attack against himself, as an example of how some might criticize the state’s attorney’s office for being overzealous. Staff replied by saying they agreed it could look “excessive” and promised to take it up with others in the office.
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2) Charges get dropped
On the day Foxx’s office went to court to drop charges against Smollett, staff texted about how the media had gotten wind of the decision. With reporters in the Leighton Criminal Court Building, staff texted about how they were then contacting Chicago police about the decision, and discussed how police reacted.
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3) Explaining to Chicago police
That same day, Foxx texted that police Superintendent Eddie Johnson had spoken with her by telephone, and she said he seemed “satisfied” with the office’s decision. But later that day, Johnson joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel at a news conference where the mayor furiously denounced the decision as a “whitewash of justice.”
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4) Redactions
Some texts, released to the Tribune in response to a Freedom of Information request, between Foxx and others were heavily redacted, making it difficult to discern what else was said.
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5) The “Foxxhole”
Foxx appeared to have a name for the group she texted with during the initial stages of the case: the “Foxxhole.”