PROSECUTOR WHO DROPPED CHARGES AGAINST JUSSIE SMOLLETT EXPLAINS DECISION: ‘We Didn’t Exonerate Him.’

Mediaite notes that New York Times Julie Bosman tweeted that Assistant state attorney Joe Magats said “he saw no problems with the police investigation or the evidence against Smollett. The charges against Smollett were dropped in return for his agreement to do community service, he said, and for forfeiting his bond to the city of Chicago.” Magats is quoted as saying “Here’s the thing — we work to prioritize violent crime and the drivers of violent crime. Public safety is our number one priority. I don’t see Jussie Smollett as a threat to public safety.”

The Chicago Tribune adds, “Calling it ‘a whitewash of justice,’ Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasted the decision, emphasizing repeatedly that a grand jury had chosen to bring 16 counts of disorderly conduct against Smollett. ‘From top to bottom, this is not on the level,’ Emanuel told reporters at an afternoon news conference.”

As Jim Treacher writes, “This has never been about justice. It’s about social justice.”