On Aug. 23, former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb was named the special prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett case, The Chicago Tribune reported.
Smollett, who is African American and openly gay, was accused of orchestrating a fake hate-crime attack on himself on Jan. 29; Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office subsequently dropped the charges with little explanation—and to great public outcry.
In signing the order for a special prosecutor in June, Judge Michael Toomin said Foxx overstepped her authority when she put her top deputy in charge of Smollett’s prosecution after she recused herself. Webb—currently the co-chairman of the law firm Winston & Strawn—will have the power to investigate not only Smollett but any other people or agencies who touched the case since January.
The full Tribune article is at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-jussie-smollett-special-prosecutor-20190824-hexnghsel5fhdfkywhmx3rojae-story.html.