CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Al Sharpton is defending Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who has been criticized after her office dropped charges against actor Jussie Smollett.
The civil rights leader was in Chicago on Saturday at the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. The Chicago Tribune reports Sharpton portrayed Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as a hypocrite. Emanuel has criticized prosecutors’ actions in the “Empire” actor’s case. Smollett was charged with falsely reporting to police that he was the victim of an attack.
Sharpton said “there is a marked difference between how they reacted to this and how they reacted to the Laquan McDonald case.” Sharpton said there was no outrage when video showing a white officer fatally shooting the black teen was withheld.
Emanuel spokesman Matt McGrath said “this isn’t worthy of a response.”
