“The conduct of her office from the very beginning of this cases was highly, highly suspicious,” Martin Preib, the FOP’s second-vice-president, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“The entire country is outraged by it. The evidence is overwhelming that he was legitimately charged in this case. This decision [to drop the charges] appears to be utterly arbitrary, capricious and suspicious.”
The FOP initially demanded a federal investigation to determine whether Foxx acted inappropriately when she tried to persuade Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson to transfer the investigation of Smollett’s claim of being the target of a hate crime to the FBI.
Foxx’s initial request that Johnson transfer the case to the FBI came after an influential supporter of the “Empire” actor reached out to Foxx personally: Tina Tchen, a Chicago attorney and former chief of staff for former First Lady Michelle Obama, according to emails and text messages provided by Foxx to the Sun-Times in response to a public records request.
“The entire country is getting a window into the absurdity of the Chicago political and legal system,” Preib said.