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Wednesday, March 27, 2019

7 People Who Were Sentenced for Same Thing Jussie Smollett Allegedly Did

Although the charges that Jussie Smollett allegedly filed a false report were dropped, others charged for the same thing, but lacking Hollywood or political ties, have been prosecuted and sentenced.

In fact, a 30-minute search turned up seven people in Illinois with similar charges to those of Jussie Smollett whose sentences included probation, at the least.

Here are the seven:


  • On November 9, 2011, the RRStar.com reported that a 19-year-old Rockford, Illinois, woman received a sentence of two years probation and 40 hours of community service for filing a false report. She was also ordered to undergo counseling. The woman falsely claimed that “she had been threatened at gunpoint.”
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The Michelle Obama Staffer Who Helped Get Jussie Smollett Off The Hook Is Also Investigating Racism, Sexism Within The SPLC

Tina Tchen, who was former First Lady Michelle Obama’s chief of staff, has been in the news quite a bit lately, mostly for her role in getting charges dropped against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.

While Chicago police were still investigating an alleged hate crime against Smollett and considering him a victim, Tchen reached out to the Cook County State Attorney’s Office asking for the investigation to be handed over to the FBI.

“I wanted to give you a call on behalf of Jussie Smollett and family who I know. They have concerns about the investigation,” Tchen sent in a text message to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on February 1.

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Pompeo announces expansion of US ban on aid to groups providing abortion-related services

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Tuesday that the United States is expanding its ban on giving aid to groups that either promote or provide abortions.

In his announcement on the changes to the so-called Mexico City policy, Pompeo said that the U.S. has extended the ban to include organizations that comply with the rule but give money to others that don’t – adding that the Trump administration will not allow American taxpayer money to pay for “back-door funding schemes and end runarounds to our policy.”

“This administration has shown we can meet critical health care goals while refusing to subsidize the killing of unborn babies,” Pompeo said. “As result of my decision, we will refuse to provide support to NGOs who provide funds to other organizations that promote abortion."

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pompeo-announces-expansion-of-us-ban-on-aid-to-groups-providing-abortion-related-services

America's Fentanyl Problem: China Can Turn Off The Tap... If It Wants

In 2017, Islamic insurgents in Niger ambushed and killed a four-man US Special Forces team. It was front-page news and considered a catastrophe.

That same year, over 28,000 Americans died of overdoses involving the synthetic drug, fentanyl. Yet, it seemed less of an attention-getter in Washington – and still does – even as the death toll mounts.

The fentanyl mostly comes from the People’s Republic of China – although the media usually downplays or ignores this point – seemingly afraid to mention the ‘C’ word.

The Washington Post did recently publish an article by well-regarded reporter and China expert, John Pomfret, explaining why the Chinese government does not stop the fentanyl flow – despite promising the U.S .Government it would do so.

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America’s 233-Year-Old Shock at Jihad

Exactly 233 years ago this week, two of America’s founding fathers documented their first exposure to Islamic jihad in a letter to Congress; like many Americans today, they too were shocked at what they learned.

Context: in 1785, Muslim pirates from North Africa, or “Barbary,” had captured two American ships, the Maria and Dauphin, and enslaved their crews. In an effort to ransom the enslaved Americans and establish peaceful relations, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams -- then ambassadors to France and England respectively -- met with Tripoli’s ambassador to Britain, Abdul Rahman Adja. Following this diplomatic exchange, they laid out the source of the Barbary States’ hitherto inexplicable animosity to American vessels in a letter to Congress dated March 28, 1786:
We took the liberty to make some inquiries concerning the grounds of their [Barbary’s] pretentions to make war upon nations who had done them no injury, and observed that we considered all mankind as our friends who had done us no wrong, nor had given us any provocation. The ambassador answered us that it was founded on the laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Musselman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise 

One need not conjecture what the American ambassadors -- who years earlier had asserted that all men were “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights” -- thought of their Muslim counterpart’s answer. Suffice to say, because the ransom demanded was over fifteen times greater than what Congress had approved, little came of the meeting.

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Attorney General Frosh Joins Coalition to Protect Liberian Residents of Maryland

Attorney General Frosh Joins Coalition to Protect Liberian Residents of Maryland

BALTIMORE, MD  –  Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh has joined a coalition of 10 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting Liberian nationals who have filed suit to block President Trump’s termination of their Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) status.


NOI 3/26/19 Wicomico Mobile Home Fire Old Fruitland Road

new patch

NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION

Date:   March 26, 2019
Time:    12:39 p.m.
Location / Address:  31067 Old Fruitland Road, Salisbury, Wicomico Co.
Type of Incident:  Fire
Description of Structure / Property:   12’ x 60’ Mobile home
Owner / Occupants:   David Hoang
Injuries or Deaths:  None
Estimated $ Loss: Structure:  $20,000                      Contents: $10,000
Smoke Alarm Status:  Unknown
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status:  n/a
Arrests(s):  None
Primary Responding Fire Department:  Salisbury Fire Department
# of Alarms:  2     # Of Firefighters:  40
Time to Control:   45 minutes
Discovered By:  Neighbor
Area of Origin:   Underside of mobile home
Preliminary Cause:   Accidental, electrical
Additional Information:  The occupants were displaced and being assisted by the American Red Cross.

Old Fruitland

Arby's manager kills man who spat on her, police say

An Oklahoma Arby’s manager has been arrested after shooting and killing a customer she had gotten into an argument with, police say.

Deionna Young, 25, is facing a first-degree murder charge stemming from the alleged incident that unfolded Saturday in Tulsa.


Police told Fox News that Desean Tallent, the deceased 25-year-old, threatened and spat on Young before leaving the store. They did not elaborate on what caused the dispute.

One hour later, they say, Tallent returned to the store and Young got in her car and followed him out of the parking lot.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/arbys-manager-kills-man-who-spat-on-her-police-say
 

As Virginia Solar Farm Decision Looms, Fight Continues Over Cleanup Costs

As concerned citizens continue to fight against a plan to build the largest solar farm in the eastern United States near their homes in Spotsylvania, Virginia, the local board of supervisors hasn’t made a final decision on the issue.

Critics tell the Taxpayers Protection Alliance the decommission bond that Utah-based builder Sustainable Power Group, or sPower, has proposed is too low, and could leave local taxpayers in a financial lurch if accepted.

sPower wants to build a solar farm consisting of 1.8 million panels on 6,350 acres in Spotsylvania, the largest such farm east of the Rockies. The farm would generate 500 megawatts of solar power to sell to such clients as Apple and Microsoft. A buffer consisting of planted vegetation would be created around the panels, which would use about half of the acreage.

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Here Are 4 Egregious Ways the Left Wants to Transform American Politics

When you can’t win the game, change the rules.”

That seems to be the motto of the far left these days. Not content to play by the rules, they hope to tilt the playing field to their own advantage and in the process transform American politics.

Here are four ways they’ve proposed doing that.

1. Packing the Supreme Court


A number of Democratic presidential hopefuls have floated the idea of adding new seats on the Supreme Court.

To begin with, this is something the Constitution gives Congress the power to determine. But this isn’t the first time the political branches have played politics with the Supreme Court by trying to tinker with the number of seats.


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Purdue Pharma settles Oklahoma opioid lawsuit for $270 million

Purdue Pharma has reached a settlement with the state of Oklahoma over claims the maker of the painkiller OxyContin helped fuel an opioid epidemic that killed thousands of residents in the state.

The pharmaceutical company, based in Stamford, Connecticut, and owned by the Sackler family, will pay $270 million to resolve the lawsuit, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said Tuesday. Of that amount, nearly $200 million will go toward establishing the National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa, while local governments will get $12.5 million. Twenty million dollars will be set aside for addiction treatment medication, and the remaining $60 million will pay for the state's litigation costs to date.

"The addiction crisis facing our state and nation is a clear and present danger, but we're doing something about it today," Hunter said.

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Delegate Jay Jalisi unanimously reprimanded by House

The Maryland House chamber on Wednesday voted unanimously to reprimand Delegate Jay Jalisi, D-Baltimore County, following the recommendations of a joint ethics committee that compiled reports of abusive behavior against his staff for the past four years.

Jalisi was accused of bullying staff members, received warnings and was counseled by Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, multiple times, according to the report, released Monday.

Jalisi was not present on the chamber floor at the time of the 136 to 0 vote for House resolution 2, but said in a statement this week that he is the victim of a political smear campaign.

The report details multiple occasions of Jalisi berating his staff. Persons testified that in 2015, Jalisi told a staff member to work around 100 extra hours of overtime without timesheets to prove it, and in 2017, that he yelled at staffer so loudly a person in a different office called human resources, according to the report.

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Don’t expect any media mea culpas for the ‘collusion’ delusion

The opening scene of the Big Reveal of Robert Mueller’s special counsel report went according to the script: Conservatives “pounced,” the left “pushed back” and the media turned to each other for comfort and reassurance.

Amid the misty-eyed cable news anchors and the hastily arranged panels of pundits carrying out a series of televised group therapy sessions, a theme began to take shape — a soothing, healing incantation of hope and deliverance: This can’t be the end. There’s got to be more.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow got the ball rolling with her stream-of-consciousness opening, rhetorically cursing the gods of sitting-president-indictment norms and promising (pleading for?) much more to come from the Southern District of New York and Reps. Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler.

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Police: Late for work, suspect doesn't stop in high speed-chase

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - It started with an Ohio trooper attempting to pull over a vehicle on I-77 northbound, and ended with multiple police cars smashed and a dramatic arrest.

The reason for the death-defying chase? The suspect said she had to make it to work, according to police.

Imani Edwards is charged with felonious assault and failure to comply after she was finally stopped on East 105th Street in Cleveland, just north of St Clair Avenue.

Police had Edwards boxed in on I-77, and were out of their cruisers with guns drawn when she decided to run again.

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Retired State Corruption Investigation Calls For Criminal Investigation Into Mayor Pugh’s ‘Healthy Holly’ Dealings

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A retired state corruption investigator wants a criminal investigation into Mayor Catherine Pugh’s business dealings.

A letter was sent to the State Prosecutor’s office yesterday, calling for the mayor to be investigated for perjury and criminal misconduct.

“I did a 3.5 year undercover investigation down there,” said Jim Cabezas, public corruption investigator.

The retired investigator spent more than 30 years investigating corruption for the State Prosecutor before

“For me this has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with integrity,” Cabezas said.

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Detailed images of baby heart inside the womb

Researchers have produced unprecedented images of a baby's heart while it is still inside the womb.

Pregnant women were scanned in an MRI machine and powerful computers built 3D models of the tiny beating hearts inside their unborn children.

The team at King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas's says it will improve the care of babies with congenital heart disease.

The researchers say their approach could easily be adopted by hospitals.

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Va. to vote on banning handheld cellphone use behind the wheel

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is reviving an effort to ban all handheld cellphone use by drivers in the state, a change that would match the laws in Maryland and the District.

“I hope that the General Assembly passes this lifesaving measure,” Northam said at the announcement outside Alexandria City Hall Tuesday morning.

Almost three people were killed per day on Virginia roads last year, and at least 208 of those deaths involved distracted driving. Many more people were injured in those and other crashes.

“Using a phone while driving not only takes your eyes off the road; it distracts your mind as well,” Northam said.

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"El Chapo" attorneys ask judge for new trial over jurors' alleged misconduct

Defense attorneys asked a federal judge Tuesday to grant a new trial to the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo," saying jurors improperly followed media coverage of the sensational drug conspiracy case. Joaquin Guzman's defense team said in court filings that jurors repeatedly disregarded instructions to avoid the "blizzard of media coverage" before convicting Guzman of murder conspiracy and drug-trafficking charges in February.

The defense asked U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan to hold an evidentiary hearing in the wake of a Vice News report that said at least five jurors followed media reports and Twitter feeds during the three-month trial. The attorneys said juror misconduct denied Guzman his right to a fair trial.

"If a justice system's measure is how it treats the most reviled and unpopular, then ours may have failed Joaquin Guzman by denying him the fair trial before an untainted jury to which he's constitutionally entitled," Guzman's attorneys wrote in a court filing. "Because sunlight is the best disinfectant, that prospect merits serious consideration, close investigation and a new trial as appropriate."

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New amendment may reinstate driver's licenses for more than half a million Virginians, governor says

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced an amendment to the state’s budget on Monday eliminating the suspension of driver’s licenses for those who cannot pay court fines and costs. The amendment would restore driving privileges for more than 627,000 Virginians with suspended licenses.

"The practice of suspending a person’s driver’s license for nonpayment of court fines and costs is inequitable. It's past time we end it," Northam said. "A driver’s license is critical to daily life, including a person’s ability to maintain a job. Eliminating a process that envelops hundreds of thousands of Virginians in a counterproductive cycle is not only fair, it’s also the right thing to do."

Northam proposed the bill in the House and Senate during the 2019 legislative session addressing the issue of suspending licenses. Senator Adam Ebbin and Delegate Alfonso Lopez backed him.

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Another Soros-Linked District Attorney Blocks Boston Police from Making Arrests on Shoplifting, Destruction of Property, Resisting Arrest, Drug Offenses… No Deportation of Illegals

The far left District Attorney announced new orders for police officers who are no longer allowed to arrest people for shoplifting, for breaking and entering, for destruction of property/vandalism, for resisting arrest, for disturbing the peace, and for drug offenses.

Rollins also ordered police to refuse access to ICE officials for the arrest any illegals in courthouses — no matter the crime.

Rollins is linked to the far left program originally funded by George Soros to support far left radicals in deep blue cities across the US.

The program has helped elect radical attorneys in Chicago, St. Louis, Sacramento and San Diego. On Tuesday Soros-linked Kim Foxx dropped all charges against hate hoaxer Jussie Smollett in Chicago without explanation.

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Duke Whistleblower Gets More Than $33 Million In Research Fraud Settlement

Duke University is paying the U.S. government $112.5 million to settle accusations that it submitted bogus data to win federal research grants. The settlement will also bring a $33.75 million payment to Joseph Thomas, the whistleblower who drew attention to the fraud when he worked for Duke.

Thomas, a former Duke lab analyst, sued the university on behalf of the federal government, saying that a Duke researcher fudged data to help the university win and keep lucrative grants from two agencies, the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The dozens of grants in question covered the study of the lung function of mice. The Justice Department says Thomas' lawsuit alleged that "between 2006 and 2018, Duke knowingly submitted and caused to be submitted" claims to federal agencies that were unknowingly paying grant money for falsified research data. It adds that while the agreement settles the court case, it does not mean Duke has been determined liable.

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Maryland voters rally to support gerrymandering case

WASHINGTON — Maryland voters, political groups and state elected officials all rallied together outside the Supreme Court Tuesday morning to support a case being heard on partisan gerrymandering in the state’s congressional districts.

Held on the steps of the Supreme Court, the Fair Maps Rally, sponsored by Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, drew hundreds of supporters to raise public awareness of transparent redistricting and to protest against unfair congressional districts in states across the country.

While supporters chanted and spoke outside for several hours, oral arguments for two Supreme Court cases on gerrymandering were heard inside.

The Maryland case, Benisek v. Lamone, focused on whether the redistricting of the state’s 6th Congressional District was constitutional after the district map was redrawn in 2011 following the release of 2010 political census data, flipping it from being a solid Republican district to majority Democratic in the 2012 election.

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DEAD RECEIVING MILLIONS IN SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS

Social Security Administration (SSA) officials paid nearly $42 million to about 500 dead people in three states, according to Office of the Inspector General audits released in March.

Around 70 million people received more than $1 trillion of economic assistance through Social Security programs in fiscal year 2018. Payments end when the beneficiary dies, however.

The SSA identified 160 individuals who had possibly died, with 57 from Michigan from 1971 through 2010 and 103 from Maryland from 1979 through 2015. Around $16.9 million in payments were issued to 145 individuals who reportedly died in these states. The remaining 15 were alive.

There was an instance where a woman received payments for a person who died in 2000 and used it for personal benefit. She pleaded guilty for theft and was required to pay nearly $170,000 back to SSA. Another person also received Social Security benefits that was posted under the deceased person’s record since 1997. The beneficiary had died in 1974.

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Report: FBI Still Investigating Jussie Smollett for Federal Mail Fraud

Despite all charges being dropped against Empire star Jussie Smollett Tuesday, the actor reportedly still faces an FBI investigation for mail fraud.

Fox News reported on air Tuesday that the FBI is still looking into Jussie Smollett allegedly sending himself a death threat letter through the mail.

“A spokesperson for the FBI, we just reached out to, and they tell us ‘no comment.’ All along, the FBI–which is, you know, usually very quiet, did not weigh in on their investigation,” an FNC reporter said on air.

“But, Jussie Smollett, according to Chicago police, allegedly sent himself a death threat letter just one week prior to the alleged hoax,” the reporter continued.

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Most Democrats vote 'present' on Green New Deal

Senators Tuesday blocked the Democratic Green New Deal resolution in a procedural vote the GOP called up in order to showcase the radical plan to end the use of fossil fuels and address climate change.

Most Senate Democrats voted “present” rather than in favor of the resolution, even though many of them said they support the framework of the measure. The resolution calls for the United States to end greenhouse gas emissions and transition to renewable energy in the coming decades.

No senators voted to advance the resolution, while 57 voted no, including a handful of Democrats: Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, also voted no.

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Analysis: The Mess at UMMS—Part II: Legislative action must be stronger than HB 1428

By Charlie Hayward
For MarylandReporter.com


The type of audit cited in legislation, and who controls the audit, will be pivotal to whether all, or only a few of the red flags, are considered by the auditor. HB 1428 would require the University of Maryland Medical System Corporation (UMMS) to hire an: “independent certified public accountant (CPA) to conduct a performance audit of its administrative and financial offices – specifically to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of financial management practices, including procurement and contracting.”

Professional auditing standards describe several kinds of audits. Performance auditors examine internal controls for efficiency and effectiveness and recommend prospective improvements. They don’t investigate possible wrongdoing or reconstruct previous transactions or events; they typically don’t examine source documents or verify transactions; they don’t assess motives; and they don’t perform any forensic work—unless the mandate requires it and the legislation does not.

A “performance audit” is jargon for a non-critical review whose principal objectives are aligned with future improvements of economy and efficiency. The legislature needs to tighten up language describing the audit to include an investigation covering at least three years prior, including forensic work.

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Maryland Senate votes to abolish the state's Handgun Permit Review Board; measure moves to House

The Maryland Senate approved a bill Monday night that would abolish the state’s Handgun Permit Review Board.

The 30-16 vote now moves the measure to the House of Delegates for consideration.

Some lawmakers and gun control advocates have raised concerns about the board, saying it has been too permissive in overturning and modifying Maryland State Police decisions on handgun permits.

Handgun owners who want to carry their guns with them must prove to the Maryland State Police that they have a “good and substantial” reason to carry the guns, under state law.

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Supreme Court hears arguments on Maryland, North Carolina redistricting

WASHINGTON – For the second time in as many years, the Supreme Court heard arguments on partisan redistricting cases from Maryland and North Carolina Tuesday, but it remains unclear whether a constitutional standard for regulating the practice will be issued.

North Carolina’s entire congressional map is being contested, which is currently made up of 10 Republicans and three Democrats despite the state being almost evenly split politically.

At issue in Maryland is the state’s 6th Congressional District. Democratic lawmakers are accused of moving Republican voters out of the district that covers most of the state’s rural Northwest and putting in large numbers of Democratic voters from the Washington suburbs in order to turn the district blue.

The justices seemed to be split evenly down philosophical lines, with the more liberal wing of the court encouraging the deliberation of a manageable standard to apply to future questions of gerrymandering, while the conservative wing seeming wary of intervening in a process left largely to the states.

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Black Helicopters In The Area

Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack

Over the next several weeks Delmarva Power will be conducting aerial transmission line inspections throughout the Eastern Shore and into Delaware. Haverfield Aviation will be utilizing a black hughes MD500 with tail number N371EE to do the inspections. They often fly low for extended periods. If you happen to see them do not be concerned and wave hello.

Dropping of charges against ‘Empire’ star Jussie Smollett ‘almost unheard of’: Judge Andrew Napolitano

The stunning decision by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office to drop all 16 felony charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett in his alleged hate crime hoax is “almost unheard of,” Judge Andrew Napolitano said Tuesday.

The Fox News senior judicial analyst said on “America’s Newsroom” soon after the news broke that it seems like the government asked the court to dismiss its own indictment.

“Quite frankly, this is almost unheard of,” Napolitano said. “It is either the result of extraordinary lawyering on the part of [Smollett’s] lawyers or a realization by the government of a defect in its evidence that it did not know it had at the time it sought and obtained an indictment against him.”


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https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/charges-dropped-against-empire-star-jussie-smollett-almost-unheard-of-judge-andrew-napolitano

Police Union Rep Says Prosecutor Threw Cops 'Under the Bus' on Smollett Case, Following Obama's Example

On Tuesday, the Cook County State's Attorney's office announced it had dropped the 16 counts against Empire star Jussie Smollett. State's Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself from the case, but the prosecutor who dropped the case reports to her. A Chicago police union rep told PJ Media that Foxx was behind the decision to drop the charges, and this represents merely one more example of her throwing the Chicago police "under the bus," following the lead of former president Barack Obama.

"Once again, she's throwing the Chicago Police Department completely under the bus, which she's been doing for the last two years in office," Martin Preib, second vice president at the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), told PJ Media on Tuesday. He argued that Foxx had never truly recused herself from the case, since her "underlings" remained involved.

"What's the difference between her recusing herself and her underlings having the case? What really has been recused here? Nothing," Prieb declared.

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