Disturbing use of racism to defend Kim Foxx in Smollett fiasco
A special Prosecutor has determined that charges should be restored against Jussie Smollett who allegedly faked up a racist homophobic assault in order to build sympathy to bolster his sagging career. Smollett was given a pass when Cook County States Attorney Kim “The Fixx” Foxx dismissed all charges, leaving taxpayers to deal with the hundreds of thousands spent to investigate Smollett’s hoax.
By Ray Hanania
Jussie Smollett made false accusations more than one year ago that he had been the victim of a homophobic racist attacks involving two unknown individuals. After an exhaustive investigation by the Chicago Police, they concluded that Smollett’s claims were false, intended to bolster his sagging career as a TV actor.
But Smollett was able to somehow convince newly elected and inexperienced Cook County State;’s Attorney Kim Foxx, that the charges against him should be dropped. Foxx dropped those charges after speaking with a relative of Smollett’s in the early phases of the investigation, and after she was contacted by Tina Tchen, the former chief of staff to former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Clearly, the “Kim Fix” was in and Kim Foxx dropped the charges against Smollett on March 26, 2019, a tsunami of outrage fueled calls for Foxx’s resignation. Foxx was accused of playing racial politics sympathizing with Smollett because he, like Foxx, is African American, and in the wake of subtle pressure from African American leaders like Michelle Obama.
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, Special Prosecutor Dan Webb, who was appointed in June 2019 to review the Smollett case, concluded that there was more than enough evidence to justify prosecution. On Tuesday, after nearly eight months, Webb announced that Smollett was indicted by a special Cook County grand jury on six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly making four separate false reports regarding what police said was a faked attack.
Webb’s appointment came as a result of a petition filed by retired appellate court Judge Sheila O’Brien in April 2019 arguing a special prosecutor was necessary. Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Toomin agreed and named Webb, one of the most reputable former federal prosecutors and U.S. Attorneys to serve as the Special Prosecutor. Webb’s job was to lead a special investigation into the circumstances that led to the dismissal of all charges against the disgraced Smollett who never once showed remorse for his actions and flaunted Foxx’s decision to drop all charges as a vindication of his lies.
No one cares about Smollett, who was rightfully dropped from the Empire TV series. Smollett is a liar who thought nothing of exploiting the suffering of Gays and members of the LGBTQ community to wrap his hoax in a sense of self-righteous pity. And he didn’t think twice about insulting the victims of racism by asserting he was the victim not only of a racist conduct but even dug deep into the history of African American suffering to evoke images of lynchings when he said that the assailants had tied a noose around his neck.
Gays have suffered tremendously in this country, and so have African Americans. And yet to watch Smollett and his willing conspirator, Kim Foxx, disrespect those victims and use racism and homophobia as a personal resource to profit is so despicable and disgusting.
Fortunately, the guilty are eventually caught and the truth comes out. Although Smollett won’t face serious jail time — people of color have been imprisoned for far less and because of more real crimes — he will be judged as the face of deceitful con artist. Ironically his profession is acting and he didn’t even do a good job of pretending to be an innocent victim. His performance was arrogant and disbelieving, someone who wears the skin color of the oppressed but has lived life of deceit and dishonesty.
A special Cook County grand jury led by a Special Prosecutor indicted Smollett on six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly making four separate false reports in what police investigators concluded lats year was a phony homophobic and racist assault.
But the real judgment should be reserved for Foxx, truly one of the most inept persons to hold the county prosecutor’s post. If Foxx had any dignity left, she would simply resign from office and save the taxpayers the indignity of watching her now pretend to be the “victim.”
Knowing the Special Prosecutor’s decision would rule against her unprofessional and maybe even unlawful actions, Foxx surrounded herself with African American church leaders in the hopes of casting the decision to restore charges against Smollett as a false act of racism. How demeaning it is for African Americans who have suffered true acts of racism and racial injustice to watch as their real victimization and suffering has been turned into used as a shield to protect ineptitude and undeserved power by political activists?
Like Smollett, Foxx is hoping that she can count on the political sympathy of African American leaders to set aside justice, law and accountability for actions in order to brush aside this disgraceful misconduct and abuse of power. Foxx is hoping she can appeal to the pain of the African American community, and others including Hispanics, Arabs, Muslims, Asians and many other ethnic minorities who have been victimized because of race and prejudice to redefine “justice as injustice” and turn “injustice into a twisted form of justice.”
Foxx’s race-exploiting defenders allege that the Special Prosecutor’s decision to announce the reversal is intended as a political move because it comes before an election.
The claim is outrageous and pathetic. The Special Prosecutor has been examining the evidence longer than Foxx ever did before tossing it out under pressure from her friends, Smollett’s relatives and political hypocrisy from politicians like Michelle Obama.
Smollett will face the harsh judgment of the public, not just for his lying and making taxpayers waste thousands to investigate his false claims, but for his cowardly act and the realization that he is so untalented and not worth the public’s admiration, the things that actors crave but only the talented earn.
Jussie Smollett is a has been, a loser. A pathetic whining failed TV actor who will probably be forgotten quickly. His life did nothing of any value for anyone.
But Kim Foxx will be remembered for failing to do her job defending the rights of the taxpayers who pay her salary, or defending the victims of injustice who have been pushed aside her her selfish pursuit of influential friends and celebrities. Foxx certainly has high name recognition, although it has nothing to do with honor, professionalism or the field of justice which she has failed so miserably to defend.
Kim “The Fixx” Foxx should do the taxpayers at least one favor that benefits them by voluntarily resigning from office.
(Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and political columnist. This column was originally published in the Southwest News Newspaper Group in the Des Plaines Valley News, Southwest News-Herald, The Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers. For more information on Ray Hanania visit www.Hanania.com or email him at rghanania@gmail.com.)
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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