New details have surfaced in the Jussie Smollett case, specifically pertaining to why Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx recently recused herself. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, in the days following the alleged attack, Foxx tried persuading Police Supt. Eddie Johnson to turn over the investigation to the FBI. It's being reported that Tina Tchen, former chief of staff to Michelle Obama and a Chicago attorney, contacted Foxx via text messages and emails.
Tchen reached out to Foxx on behalf of the Smollett family saying, "I wanted to give you a call on behalf of Jussie Smollett and family who I know," Tchen wrote in a text. "They have concerns about the investigation." Tchen then attempted to set up a phone meeting with the next few hours of the text before she had to catch a morning flight. Not long after, one of Smollett's relatives texted Foxx after receiving her information from Tchen. The relative said they had questions regarding the leaked information to the media reportedly coming from police sources.
“They had no doubt about the quality of the investigation, but believed that the FBI would have a tighter lid on the information,” said Foxx. She also added that Johnson seemed as if he was on board with an FBI investigation and said that she'd recommended the same for other cases in the past.
Because she engaged in conversations with the relative during the time when the attack was being investigated as a hate crime and not a hoax, Foxx removed herself from the case. She formally did so on February 13, the last date she had contact with the relative and just a week before Smollett was officially charged.
"Spoke to the superintendent earlier. He is going to make the ask. Trying to figure out logistics. I’ll keep you posted,” Foxx wrote to the relative. Then the relative, whose name has been blocked out in documents, replied, "OMG this would be a huge victory."
Foxx also emailed Tchen, "Spoke to the Superintendent Johnson. I convinced him to reach out to FBI to ask that they take over the investigation. He is reaching out now and will get to me shortly.” Meanwhile, Smollett recently was spotted walking into the Cook County courthouse to attend a hearing for his case—a hearing he wasn't even required to be at. The actor's team will reportedly fight all 16 charges against him and are confident that their truth will prevail.