Jussie Smollett cites George Floyd protests, demands police transparency
Embattled actor Jussie Smollett cited ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd while demanding more transparency from cops in his own criminal case, according to new court documents.
The former “Empire” star says he deserves to know why Chicago’s top cop, Eddie Johnson, was fired from the position last year, because it may be linked to flaws in the case against him, according to court docs cited by FOX News.
“As we see millions across the country rise up to protest and expose police misconduct, the city [of Chicago], by its refusal to produce the requested documents, is choosing to actively resist a citizen’s lawful efforts to reveal dishonesty, directly relating to the charges against him,” reads the motion, which was filed Friday to force officials to hand over documents about Johnson’s firing.
It notes the former police supervisor “oversaw and publicly commented on the investigation” that led to Smollett’s arrest.
The 37-year-old actor, who is black and gay, was charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police and staging a hate crime in January 2019.
In a stunning reversal, prosecutors dropped all charges in the botched case in March 2019 and Johnson was fired eight months later. But in February, Smollett was hit with six new charges.
Since then, his legal team has pushed to have cops cough up discovery documents detailing the events surrounding Johnson’s firing. Their most recent filing claims, cops “disparaged Mr. Smollett by characterizing his discovery requests as attempting to ‘muddy the waters.’”
They also note that previous documents released by city officials, “conspicuously omit” which specific police officers claimed that Smollett made false statements to cops.
Smollett pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct in February and was released on a $20,000 bond.
Article via PageSix
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