Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorsed Kim Foxx, the prosecutor under investigation for the handling of the Jussie Smollett hate crime case, for reelection as state attorney.
“@KimFoxxForSA is a seasoned advocate and a champion invested in rethinking the county’s approach to criminal justice reform. I’m confident that when reelected, she’ll continue to be an effective public servant who leads with compassion, and I’m proud to endorse her!” Warren wrote on Twitter.
.@KimFoxxForSA is a seasoned advocate and a champion invested in rethinking the county’s approach to criminal justice reform. I’m confident that when reelected, she’ll continue to be an effective public servant who leads with compassion, and I’m proud to endorse her! pic.twitter.com/M9yk8r44qJ
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 28, 2020
Smollett, an actor from Fox’s Empire, was charged with disorderly conduct and also indicted on 16 felonies for filing a false police report in Illinois last year, but Foxx’s office dropped those charges.
Chicago police were not notified of Foxx’s agreement with Smollett in advance, which then-Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson called a “whitewash of justice.”
Smollett filed a police report in 2019 claiming that he had been beaten up and taunted by white Trump supporters and immediately received national attention. The claim later turned out to be false.
Foxx initially said she was recusing herself from the Smollett case to avoid a potential conflict of interest stemming from her contact with one of the actor’s relatives. Foxx later clarified that she did not “formally” recuse herself.
A judge ruled in July that a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate Foxx’s handling of the controversial case.
“The unprecedented irregularities identified in this case warrants the appointment of independent counsel to restore the public’s confidence in the integrity of our criminal justice system,” Cook County Circuit Court Judge Michael Toomin wrote.
Foxx’s opponents in the race for Cook County state attorney have attacked her on the issue.
“Jussie Smollett was treated differently. Everybody can admit that,” attorney and candidate for Foxx’s position Bob Fioretti said.
Warren is sitting in fourth place according to a recent poll in Iowa, where voters will be caucusing in under a week.
