Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on Tuesday officially announced her re-election bid in a digital ad and email to supporters — while admitting she could have handled the Jussie Smollett case better.
Foxx also takes square aim at the National Rifle Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and President Trump in the two-minute ad.
“Truth is, I didn’t handle it well. I own that,” Foxx says of the Smollett investigation. “I’m making changes in my office to make sure we do better. That’s what reform is about.”
Foxx also said the personal attacks she’s endured over the investigation are about “stopping progress in Cook County.” In the ad, Foxx touts her accomplishments, including more violent crimes being prosecuted, more gun prosecutions and the county becoming a “national model for reform.”
“Every day my office is under attack, from a president who uses our city as a punching bag. The NRA, hell bent on letting guns flood our streets. And the FOP, clinging to old ways. They’ll do anything to undercut progress, including attacking me personally over the Jussie Smollett case,” Foxx says.
The case against Smollett ended abruptly in April with prosecutors dropping all charges just weeks after the actor was indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct for making a false police report about the alleged hate crime attack. The actor has denied that the attack was staged.
Earlier this year, the Fraternal Order of Police joined suburban police chiefs in demanding the state’s attorney’s resignation over her handling of the Smollett case. The FOP has also demanded a federal investigation into her handling of the matter. And Trump, as recently as last month blasted the city in a speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention. Compared to Chicago, “Afghanistan is a safe place” Trump said as he hit Chicago for being a sanctuary city and welcoming immigrants, regardless of their legal status.
Foxx has been under fire for her handling of the case because she discussed it with one of Smollett’s family members at the urging of Tina Tchen, a Chicago lawyer and activist who had once served as chief of staff for first lady Michelle Obama. Foxx publicly stated she had recused herself from Smollett’s case, a decision the state’s attorney had made just days before the actor was charged.
And while Foxx tries to distance herself from the controversial case, it may not be out of the headlines just yet. The disputed facts could be aired in a number of other courtrooms. The city under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel filed a civil lawsuit against the actor, demanding that he pay $160,000 spent on police overtime investigating his case. And two brothers who claim Smollett hired them to fake the hate crime attack have sued the actor’s Hollywood lawyers for defamation.
The field of challengers to Foxx currently includes: former Cook County Circuit Judge Pat O’Brien; Donna More, a Democrat who sought the seat in 2016; and former prosecutor Bill Conway. Many candidates who’ve waded into the field have talked about a lack of trust in the office and pointed to Foxx’s handling of the Smollett case.
But Foxx hopes to focus on other issues. In a fundraising email to supporters, Foxx on Tuesday said she has reduced the number of guns on Chicago streets and Cook County “has become a national model for reform” under her leadership.
“You can take it from me, a girl from Cabrini and a woman standing up to the old boys’ club: We’re on the right path to reforming criminal justice in Cook County,” Foxx wrote.
