Report on handling of Jussie Smollett case to be made public

By SARA BURNETT
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — A judge says a report detailing missteps and false statements made by prosecutors in the initial investigation of former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett should be made public. Smollett was convicted this month of lying to police in January 2019 about what he said was a racist, homophobic attack in downtown Chicago. The report to be released Monday includes detailed findings by special prosecutor Dan Webb, who took over the case after Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx dropped charges against Smollett in March 2019. Webb was tasked with investigating Foxx’s handling of the case and whether Smollett should face charges. A portion of the report released in 2020 found Foxx and her office abused their discretion and made false public statements but did nothing criminal.