Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s top 2 deputies have resigned under pressure. Foxx is under investigation for her handling of the Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax.
Mark Rotert, who headed the conviction integrity unit, was the first to tender his resignation, the Chicago Sun Times reports. Chief Ethics officer April Perry resigned on Wednesday. Both are set to leave the state’s attorney’s office next month.
Perry wrote the office memo announcing Foxx was recusing herself from the Smollett case in March.
Her email read: “Please note that State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is recused from the investigation involving victim Jussie Smollett. First Assistant State’s Attorney Joe Magats is serving as the Acting State’s Attorney for this matter.”
It later emerged that Foxx never actually recused herself from the case. She said the announcement was only symbolic.
Thousands of emails released to the public this week reveal that Foxx played a major role in the Smollett case even after she claimed to recuse herself.
She angered Chicago residents and a police union when she dropped all charges against Smollett and asked a judge to seal his criminal record on March 26.
Smollett, 36, was indicted by a Chicago grand jury after he lied to police about being assaulted by two Trump supporters outside his condo in January.
This week it was announced that Smollett was dropped as the lead of a Tony Award-winning Broadway play about a professional baseball star who comes out of the closet.
Photos by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images
