Ex-Obama adviser slams ‘weird turn’ in Smollett case calling it a ‘total head-scratcher’

Ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod slams ‘weird turn’ in Jussie Smollett case calling it ‘outrageous’ and a ‘total head-scratcher’ after Michelle’s former aide messaged the State’s Attorney on behalf of the actor

  • Axelrod posted a series of tweets condemning the decision Tuesday
  • He said ‘someone wasn’t being truthful’ and Chicago had paid the price
  • Axelrod called hate crimes ‘loathsome’ and said faking them ‘is insidious’
  • Prosecutors dropped all 16 felony charges against Empire actor Smollett 
  • Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is facing renewed scrutiny over her handling of the case after his charges were dropped
  • Foxx recused herself from case because she exchanged texts with Smollett’s family member after the incident 
  • She intervened after being contacted by ex Michelle Obama aide Tina Tchen 

A former adviser to Barack Obama has slammed the ‘weird turn’ in the Jussie Smollett case, calling it a ‘total head-scratcher’ after all charges were dropped against the actor. 

David Axelrod, 64, said ‘someone wasn’t being truthful’ and Chicago had paid the price in a series of tweets condemning the decision Tuesday. 

The former president’s campaign mastermind labelled the decision ‘outrageous’ as he asked why the Empire actor, 36, was allowed ‘to get off for $10K and have his records expunged and case files sealed’. 

Axelrod tweeted: ‘Unless some better explanation surfaces, here’s the lesson of this weird turn in the Smollett case: 

‘You can contrive a hate crime, make it a national news, get caught and-if you are a well-connected celebrity-get off for $10K and have your record expunged and files sealed.’ 

Prosecutors dropped all 16 felony charges against actor Jussie Smollett

Political consultant and analyst David Axelrod has slammed the ‘weird turn’ in the Jussie Smollett case calling it a ‘total head-scratcher’ on Twitter. Prosecutors dropped all 16 felony charges against actor Jussie Smollett

David Axelrod said 'someone wasn’t being truthful' and Chicago had paid the price in a series of tweets condemning the decision Tuesday

David Axelrod said ‘someone wasn’t being truthful’ and Chicago had paid the price in a series of tweets condemning the decision Tuesday

The prosecutor who decided to drop the charges against Smollett admitted on Tuesday that he does not believe the star is innocent but claimed he dropped the case because the actor has no criminal background.   

But First Assistant State’s Attorney Joe Magats insisted that State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx, who recused herself from the case because she had exchanged text messages with a member of Smollett’s family in the days after the incident, did not impact his decision.

Foxx is accused of trying to wrestle it out of the hands of the Chicago PD and have the FBI take it over at the request of Smollett family friend Tina Tchen, who is Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff. 

Axelrod added: ‘The brief statement offered by the prosecutor didn’t dispute the basic facts in the original charge. That’s why he was compelled to sacrifice his bond. They simply said that in light of his voluntary work in the community, this was a just resolution.

‘Hate crimes are loathsome. Faking them is insidious and shouldn’t be excused. Despite Smollett’s denials, nothing the prosecutor said in dismissing the case supports that. If prosecutors have evidence that contradicts the indictment THEY brought, they should share it today.’ 

Senior Advisor Axelrod, pictured with former US President Barack Obama in 2009, labelled the decision to drop the charges against the Empire actor 'outrageous' as he asked why was allowed 'to get off for $10K and have his records expunged and case files sealed'

Senior Advisor Axelrod, pictured with former US President Barack Obama in 2009, labelled the decision to drop the charges against the Empire actor ‘outrageous’ as he asked why was allowed ‘to get off for $10K and have his records expunged and case files sealed’

Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Leighton Criminal Court building after all charges were dropped in his disorderly conduct case on Tuesday

Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Leighton Criminal Court building after all charges were dropped in his disorderly conduct case on Tuesday

It came after a furious press conference from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson who decried it as a ‘whitewash of justice’ and said Smollett got off ‘scot-free’ because he is famous. 

Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts that were returned by a grand jury. He was facing 48 years behind bars for allegedly lying to police about the attack. 

There is no doubt that brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo attacked him but so far, no other motive other than that Smollett asked them to and paid them to do it has emerged. 

The question of why prosecutors who had boasted about their evidence against him suddenly dropped the case remains.

In his statement on Tuesday, Smollett gave no other explanation for the attack – which his personal trainers carried out on him – but said he had been truthful all along in his claims that he did not recognize them when they jumped him.

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk