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A Cook County judge recently castigated State's Attorney Kim Foxx for upholding a double standard by prosecuting an anonymous woman for filing a false police report after dropping all charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett, who was indicted for the same offense.Smollett was indicted by a grand jury on sixteen charges earlier this year following an extensive investigation that yielded substantial evidence that he paid two associates to attack him in the middle of the night in order to elevate his public profile.Foxx's office then dropped all charges without requiring that Smollett admit guilt, despite the strenuous objections of the Chicago Police Department and the mayor's office. Foxx's office, in explaining the decision, cited Smollett's record of community service and the fact that no one was physically harmed in the commission of his alleged crime.Cook County judge Marc Martin, while presiding over an unrelated case, chastised Foxx and her office for creating an untenable situation in which anyone charged with filing a false police report should expect to be granted the leniency afforded to Smollett.“Well, Ms. Clark is not a movie star, she doesn't have a high-price lawyer, although, her lawyer's very good. And this smells, big time. I didn't create this mess, your office created this mess. And your explanation is unsatisfactory to this court. She's being treated differently,” Martin said to Foxx during a recent court proceeding, according to a transcript obtained by a local Fox affiliate.“There's no publicity on this case. She doesn't have Mark Geragos as her lawyer or Ron Safer or Judge Brown,” Martin continued. “It's not right. And [if] I proceed in this matter, you're just digging yourselves further in a hole. [If the] press gets a hold of this, it'll be in a newspaper. Why is Ms. Clark being treated differently than Mr. Smollett?” Smollett double standard? Cook Co. Judge Marc Martin rips Kim Foxx’s office for its handling of false police report case involving suburban woman. Wonders why they’re not giving her same consideration they gave ⁦@JussieSmollett⁩. Exclusive story tonight ⁦@fox32news⁩ pic.twitter.com/e75GipLRo5 -- Dane Placko FOX 32 (@dsplacko) April 24, 2019Foxx recused herself from the Smollett case in February but continued to oversee the investigation through her correspondence with her assistant, Joseph Magats. In a series of text messages sent in early March and obtained by the Chicago Tribune, Foxx cautions Magats against appearing overzealous in their prosecution of Smollett.“Sooo……I’m recused, but when people accuse us of overcharging cases…16 counts on a class 4 becomes exhibit A,” Foxx wrote to Magats on March 8.“Pedophile with 4 victims 10 counts. Washed up celeb who lied to cops, 16. On a case eligible for deferred prosecution I think it’s indicative of something we should be looking at generally. Just because we can charge something doesn’t mean we should,” she added, referring to the case of disgraced pop singer R. Kelly.Smollett continues to maintain his innocence and has said he is considering suing the Chicago police for damages. The fate of Smollett's tenure on the hit show Empire remains unclear, but his co-stars Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard are demanding that he appear on the show's next season.“Together, as a united front, we stand with Jussie Smollett and ask that our co-star, brother and friend be brought back for our sixth season of Empire,” the show's top cast said in a statement released this week.

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstSpeaking publicly for the first time since the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections, Assistant Attorney General Rob Rosenstein did not mince words. In a prepared speech delivered to the Public Servants Dinner of the Armenian Bar Association, Rosenstein criticized the Obama administration for failing to act on what he says should have been a “real-time reaction to Russian hacking.” “The previous Administration chose not to publicize the full story about Russian computer hackers and social media trolls, and how they relate to a broader strategy to undermine America,” he said.But he saved his harshest criticism for the press, which he accused of blatantly sensationalizing the facts surrounding his involvement in the two-year inquiry. “Some of the nonsense that passes for breaking news today would not be worth the paper it was printed on, if anybody bothered to print it,” he said. “One silly question that I get from reporters is, ‘Is it true that you got angry and emotional a few times over the past few years?’ Heck yes! Didn’t you?”Rosenstein answered critics who say that he was complicit in what many believe was Attorney General William Barr’s filtering of the report. “I did pledge to do it right and take it to the appropriate conclusion,” he told those gathered. “I did not promise to report all results to the public, because grand jury investigations are ex parte proceedings. It is not our job to render conclusive factual findings. We just decide whether it is appropriate to file criminal charges.”Then he went further, addressing widespread criticism that he stood emotionless as Barr delivered remarks at a press conference the morning the redacted report was released. “Can you imagine if I did anything other than stand there at the press conference?” he asked. “Imagine the reaction and the commentary if I had smiled or grimaced. But you cannot avoid criticism. The only way you can avoid criticism in public service is if you stay home.”He only mentioned Trump once in the talk, praising the president’s approach to the law. “The rule of law is our most important principle,” Rosenstein said. “As President Trump pointed out, ‘We govern ourselves in accordance with the rule of law rather [than] … the whims of an elite few or the dictates of collective will.’”Rosenstein warned that the Russian meddling outlined in the Mueller report was just the beginning. “The bottom line is, there was overwhelming evidence that Russian operatives hacked American computers and defrauded American citizens,” he said, according to the official transcript of the speech. “And that is only the tip of the iceberg of a comprehensive Russian strategy to influence elections, promote social discord, and undermine America, just like they do in many other countries.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here

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