Smollett indicted again for staging attack

A special prosecutor wants to revisit the case of actor Jussie Smollett. In January 2019, Smollett claimed he was beaten up by men shouting racist and anti-homosexual slurs. Police looked into it and said he hired two buddies to fake the attack for publicity. He originally faced charges after the incident, but the Chicago district attorney’s office dropped them in March without much explanation.

Why is the case resurfacing now? After a follow-up investigation, special prosecutor Dan Webb, who was appointed by a Cook County judge in August, said the charges are warranted. He is also looking into the actions of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who communicated with Smollett’s family at one point during her office’s investigation. Accusations that she gave the actor special treatment have swirled since then.

Dig deeper: Read my report in Muse about some of the effects of the Smollett case on race relations.