HR0229 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0229 LRB101 11825 MST 58733 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Jussie Smollett, a professional actor and celebrity, reported to law enforcement on January 29, 2019 that he had, earlier on that day, been assaulted on a Chicago street by two men; in the alleged incident, Smollett told law enforcement that he had been subjected to assault, battery, and acts that could be characterized as life-threatening, accompanied by racial, homophobic, and political slurs; and

WHEREAS, Jussie Smollett's report of the alleged January 29 crime against him created a sensational media story, with Smollett frequently repeating his story for the press, especially 24-hour cable news; the repeated story was accompanied by repeated commentary, delivered by alleged experts, on the dangers of the streets of Chicago and the purported significance of the alleged incident to the overall climate of racial relations in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Questions began to be raised about Jussie Smollett's story and the veracity of the alleged incident; and

WHEREAS, On February 19, 2019, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced that she had recused herself from the investigation, due to what she described as her familiarity with potential witnesses in the case; and

WHEREAS, On February 20, 2019 Jussie Smollett was charged with a Class 4 felony for filing a false police report; the actor was booked and taken into custody on the same day, and the Chicago Police Department released extensive information on what they described as a hoax crime, an incident where a purported victim falsely claims to have been victimized in order to grasp fame, grab attention, make political points, or some combination of all of the above; and

WHEREAS, On February 21, 2019, Jussie Smollett was released from custody, it being described that a friend of the actor had posted $10,000 bond to gain his release; and

WHEREAS, Heavy press coverage of the alleged incident continued, with severe criticisms being leveled against Jussie Smollett and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx; and

WHEREAS, On March 8, 2019, Jussie Smollett was indicted on 16 separate felony counts of "false report of offense" arising from the incident, the separate counts being related to separate elements of the statements Smollett had made to law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, In the days following this indictment, widespread reports were spread by cable news to the effect that Jussie Smollett and his attorneys were trying to wield political clout to get the charges against him negotiated, pled down, or dropped; and

WHEREAS, On March 26, 2018, a dramatic announcement altered the terrain of the Jussie Smollett case; it was announced that Smollett would perform unspecified community service and forfeit the bond allegedly posted by his friend on February 21, and in return, all felony charges would be dropped and the court file of the incident would be sealed; and

WHEREAS, The announcement of this court proceeding and sealing was publicly criticized by Eddie Johnson, the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, who stated that 'justice was not served'; and

WHEREAS, This announcement left unanswered questions as to the roles of actor Jussie Smollett, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, First Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Joseph Magats (the prosecutor of record subsequent to State's Attorney Foxx's recusal), and other political figures who may have been involved in the case; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we request that the Attorney General of Illinois conduct a full, prompt, and comprehensive examination of the Jussie Smollett case and the decision by the Office of the Cook County State's Attorney not to pursue charges against Jussie Smollett; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the results of this examination be fully reported as a public document, so as to answer the unanswered questions surrounding the Jussie Smollett incident; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be delivered to Kwame Raoul, the Attorney General of the State of Illinois.