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Showing posts with label Bobby Rush. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bobby Rush. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Happy Black History Month! Jussie Smollett Indicted - Wait For Detroit
Just wait for Detroit.
https://beverlytran.blogspot.com/search?q=Jussie+Smollett
Jssie Smollett, former 'Empire' actor, indicted again in connection with alleged Chicago attack, clerk's office says
A special prosecutor filed six new charges against Jussie Smollett Tuesday for filing false police reports in an alleged attack in Streeterville in January 2019.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Cook County Clerk's Office confirmed Tuesday that special prosecutor Dan Webb has indicted former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett in connection with the alleged attack in Streeterville in January 2019.
Webb released a statement, saying a Cook County grand jury returned a six-count indictment against Smollett, charging him with making four separate false reports to Chicago police "related to his false claims that he was the victim of a hate crime, knowing he was not the victim of a crime."
Webb said he has arranged with Smollett's lawyers to have the actor voluntarily turn himself in for his arraignment on Feb. 24 at 9:30 a.m.
Smollett claimed he had been attacked by two men who yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him. He was originally charged with 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police about the alleged attack. Police said Smollett staged the attack on himself because he was unhappy with his "Empire" salary.
WATCH: Timeline of Events in Jussie Smollett case
"Empire" actor and R&B singer Jussie Smollett told Chicago police in January that two men physically attacked him and yelled racial and homophobic slurs. There have been dozens of twists and turns since then.
Police and prosecutors said Smollett orchestrated the attack with the help of the Osundairo brothers. One brother was an extra on "Empire" and the other was Smollett's personal trainer.
The Osundairo brothers released a statement on the new charges, saying, "The Osundairo brothers are aware of the new charges brought against Jussie Smollett today by the grand jury. As stated before, they are fully committed to the public knowing the truth about what occurred on January 29, 2019. The Osundairo brothers will continue to cooperate with that process and they thank the Special Prosecutor's office for their tireless work in seeing that justice was administered."
All charges against Smollett were dropped in late February 2019 in exchange for community service and forfeiture of his $10,000 bond payment.
Webb, a former US Attorney in Chicago, was appointed as special prosecutor after the charges were dropped to review the Cook County State's Attorney's Office's decision.
Further prosecution of Smollett is "in the interest of justice," Webb said in a lengthy statement on the new charges Tuesday.
Webb said his investigation was into whether Smollett should be further prosecuted for alleged false police reports, and whether any person or office involved in the investigation engaged in any wrongdoing, including the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
He said he "disagrees with the state's attorney's" original decision to drop the charges against Smollett after he was initially indicted, said he found the evidence "was strong" and that the state's attorney provided no proof there was no evidence that would have justified dropping the case against the actor, or previous similar case history.
He said he has not yet reached any conclusions as to the second part of the investigation, including in regards to the State's Attorney's Office, and that his investigation into whether any person or office involved in the investigation engaged in wrongdoing is ongoing.
At a Tuesday afternoon news conference where a group of African American pastors were endorsing her, Webb was accused of trying to influence the March 17 primary in which Foxx's opponents have tried to make the Smollett case a political issue.
"It's very interesting that Dan Webb at this moment, as we are a month away from an election, is now offering charges," said Rev. Otis Moss, III. "This seems very similar to when James Comey intervened in reference to the national election, and so we are seeing, at this moment, some politicization of this particular election. And as a coalition we will not stand for people who are trying to step in and muddy the waters. We need people who are ethical, who are qualified, and who are progressive."
Foxx spoke at the same event.
"I am an elected leader and I have to be accountable for the actions of not only myself but my office. And I don't run from that responsibility," she said.
She added that, as she said before, she believes her mistake was in how transparent her office was about their handling of the Smollett case.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office released a formal statement Tuesday afternoon, saying, "As the Cook County State's Attorney's Office does in all cases, the Special Prosecutor reviewed the facts, evidence, and the law, and determined charges were appropriate in this matter. We are unable to comment further as the matter is pending."
Cook County Judge Michael Toomin cited unprecedented irregularities in how State’s Attorney Kim Foxx handled the case - improperly recusing herself, but not her office, after having contact with Smollett representatives and then quietly dropping 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct.
Foxx had been in contact with a relative of Smollett and had been approached by former first lady Michelle Obama's one-time chief of staff on behalf of Smollett's family, and she explained at the time that she was recusing herself to avoid "even the perception of a conflict" of interest.
In his ruling, Toomin said he had no problem with Foxx's recusal, but that she had no right to select someone from her office to handle the prosecution, saying what she did amounted to naming her own special prosecutor.
"There isn't an office of the 'acting state's attorney.' It existed only ... in the imagination of Ms. Foxx," Judge Toomin said.
Foxx has been under fire for her handling the investigation, including from the Chicago Police Department and the former mayor. Her office charged Smollett with 16 counts of disorderly conduct after police concluded that Smollett had staged the early-morning Jan. 29 attack on himself and had paid two acquaintances to help him pull it off. But it stunningly dropped all of the charges weeks later, prompting an outcry from police and leading a former state appellate judge, Sheila O'Brien, to call for a special prosecutor.
In calling for a special prosecutor, O'Brien said it appeared to her and others that Smollett had "received special treatment" from Foxx's office.
“I did this because it had to be done and no one had done it,” she said. “The law of the special prosecutor is very obvious and it is very clear. It had to be done. Somebody had to do this and who was going to do it – the other state’s attorneys? They can’t do that to their own boss.
“The most important thing, as the judge indicated, the confidence in our judicial system will be restored to all of us; that this case will be handled by somebody who does not have a conflict,” O'Brien said.
Foxx defended her handling of the case and said she would welcome an independent investigation. But her office opposed such a special prosecutor, explaining that the investigation would just duplicate the efforts of a county inspector general's office probe that is already underway.
Jussie Smollett can still be tried for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself.
Gloria Schmidt, the attorney for the Osundairo brothers who were allegedly paid by Smollett to stage the attack, said they are fully ready to cooperate.
Judge Orders Special Prosecutor To Examine Smollett Probe
CHICAGO (AP/WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A veteran Cook County Judge decided Friday that a special prosecutor will be appointed to look at how the Jussie Smollett case was handled by State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Jussie Smollett could still face criminal charges.Cook County Judge Michael Toomin cited unprecedented irregularities in how State’s Attorney Kim Foxx handled the case - improperly recusing herself, but not her office, after having contact with Smollett representatives and then quietly dropping 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct.
Foxx had been in contact with a relative of Smollett and had been approached by former first lady Michelle Obama's one-time chief of staff on behalf of Smollett's family, and she explained at the time that she was recusing herself to avoid "even the perception of a conflict" of interest.
In his ruling, Toomin said he had no problem with Foxx's recusal, but that she had no right to select someone from her office to handle the prosecution, saying what she did amounted to naming her own special prosecutor.
"There isn't an office of the 'acting state's attorney.' It existed only ... in the imagination of Ms. Foxx," Judge Toomin said.
Foxx has been under fire for her handling the investigation, including from the Chicago Police Department and the former mayor. Her office charged Smollett with 16 counts of disorderly conduct after police concluded that Smollett had staged the early-morning Jan. 29 attack on himself and had paid two acquaintances to help him pull it off. But it stunningly dropped all of the charges weeks later, prompting an outcry from police and leading a former state appellate judge, Sheila O'Brien, to call for a special prosecutor.
In calling for a special prosecutor, O'Brien said it appeared to her and others that Smollett had "received special treatment" from Foxx's office.
“I did this because it had to be done and no one had done it,” she said. “The law of the special prosecutor is very obvious and it is very clear. It had to be done. Somebody had to do this and who was going to do it – the other state’s attorneys? They can’t do that to their own boss.
“The most important thing, as the judge indicated, the confidence in our judicial system will be restored to all of us; that this case will be handled by somebody who does not have a conflict,” O'Brien said.
Foxx defended her handling of the case and said she would welcome an independent investigation. But her office opposed such a special prosecutor, explaining that the investigation would just duplicate the efforts of a county inspector general's office probe that is already underway.
Jussie Smollett can still be tried for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself.
Gloria Schmidt, the attorney for the Osundairo brothers who were allegedly paid by Smollett to stage the attack, said they are fully ready to cooperate.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Friday, August 23, 2019
Cocktails & Popcorn: What Do A Special Prosecutor, Jussie Smollet, Bobby Rush, Hillary Clinton & Rahm Emanuel Have In Common?
Q: What do a special prosecutor, Jessie Smollet, Bobby Rush, Hillary Clinton & Rahm Emanuel have in common?
A: The Children's Defense Fund.
Dem Rep. Bobby Rush Defends Handling Of Smollett Case: "Police Sworn Enemy Of Black People"
Special prosecutor named to look into Jussie Smollett case
CHICAGO (AP) — A judge appointed a special prosecutor Friday to look into why the Chicago state's attorney's office abruptly dropped the case against Jussie Smollett, leaving open the possibility that the former "Empire" actor could yet face charges in what police say was a phony attack on himself that he staged to get attention.
Smollett, who is black and gay, maintains that he was the target of a racist and homophobic attack in January. But if the special prosecutor, former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb, determines that the charges shouldn't have been dropped, he could recommend that they be reinstated or that new charges be brought.
Webb, who was appointed by Cook County Judge Michael Toomin during a Friday hearing, told reporters afterward that he would move the investigation along as quickly as possible. Such probes typically include impaneling a special grand jury, issuing subpoenas, taking witness statements and a final report.
"I intend to expedite everything. But the facts will take me where they take me," Webb said. "I'm going to start fresh and see where it goes."
The Cook County state's attorney's office charged Smollett in February with 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging the attack and lying about it to investigators. However, it dropped the charges a month later with little explanation, angering city officials and the police.
Webb, who served as U.S. attorney in Chicago during the 1980s before going on to become arguably the city's most high-profile defense attorney of the last few decades, has been tapped to serve as a special prosecutor on five previous occasions. His list of high-profile clients has included former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, tobacco company Philip Morris and, more recently, Ukrainian energy oligarch Dymitro Firtash.
As a special prosecutor in 2012, Webb was asked to reopen the investigation into the death of David Koschman, who died after being punched in 2004 by then-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's nephew. After an investigation of more than a year that included testimony from nearly 150 witnesses, Webb determined that charges were warranted.
Toomin said the 73-year-old Webb wasn't the first person he considered for the Smollett case. The judge was required by law to first see if the state attorney general, the appellate prosecutor or a state attorney from elsewhere in Illinois wanted the job. During Friday's hearing, he suggested few expressed interest in leading an investigation whose outcome will inevitably spark outrage in some quarters.
"I might say that the responses were less than enthusiastic, as you might expect," Toomin told the courtroom.
A former state appellate judge, Sheila O'Brien, petitioned for a special prosecutor earlier this year in what many believed was a long-shot to reopen the case. But in a surprise decision, Toomin ruled in June that a special prosecutors was, in fact, called for, citing "unprecedented irregularities" in how the case had been handled.
A Smollett spokeswoman declined to comment Friday. But in court filings last month, Smollett's attorneys sharply criticized Toomin's decision to appoint a special prosecutor with broad powers, calling the process a "travesty of justice."
Smollett, now 37, told police he was walking home early on Jan. 29 when two masked men approached him, made racist and homophobic insults, beat him and looped a noose around his neck before fleeing. He said his assailants, at least one of whom he said was white, told him he was in "MAGA country" — a reference to President Donald Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."
Several weeks later, authorities alleged that Smollett had paid two black friends $3,500 to help him stage the attack because he was unhappy with his salary as an actor on "Empire" and wanted to drum up publicity for his career.
In his June ruling, Toomin suggested that the county's state's attorney, Kim Foxx, mishandled the case by appointing a top aide to oversee it after she recused herself.
Foxx had been in contact with a Smollett relative and was approached by former first lady Michelle Obama's one-time chief of staff on behalf of Smollett's family. Foxx explained at the time that she was recusing herself to avoid "even the perception of a conflict" of interest.
Foxx has said that Smollett was treated no differently than thousands of other defendants in low-level cases whose charges have been similarly dropped. She also publicly wondered if her being black had anything to do with the criticism she received.
She released a statement Friday pledging her office's "full cooperation" with Webb's investigation.
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/135001/amp?fbclid=IwAR0zVILtuT6b1kqe1c_ZRKxJzEyz6xe1YyYZy2Rh6fEXBncJ5jY96_h0eUY
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/135001/amp?fbclid=IwAR0zVILtuT6b1kqe1c_ZRKxJzEyz6xe1YyYZy2Rh6fEXBncJ5jY96_h0eUY
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Cocktails & Popcorn: Will Trump Pardon Rod Blogojevich & Kwame Kilpatrick As Whistleblowers?
Now, why would Illinois seek to disbar Blogojevich so many years later.
It is all about the timing.
In this scenario, I believe he was installed into office as possible collateral damage when it comes to throwing "The Elected Ones" under the bus, strictly for business purposes of stealin'.
Blogojevich may just come out to tell his story, and it should be quite an interesting one.
I bet Kwame Kilpatrick's story is better.
But, alas, we shall never know for the time being, as Trump keeps obstructing justice by refusing to pull that IG Report from his backpocket.
Convicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has never really been considered a giant in the legal profession, used to joke that he’d spent more time frolicking on the beach at his law school in Malibu, Calif., than he did cracking books.
When he did buckle down and read, it was often history books, not case law, he said.
“I had a man crush on Alexander Hamilton,” Blagojevich testified at his corruption trial in 2011 about why he almost flunked out of Pepperdine University.
Now, as Blagojevich awaits word at a Colorado federal prison on whether President Donald Trump will commute his 14-year sentence, the Illinois panel that licenses and disciplines attorneys has quietly moved to finally take Blagojevich’s law license away permanently.
Earlier this month, the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission filed a formal complaint citing Blagojevich’s conviction on an array of federal corruption charges and requesting a hearing before a disciplinary panel, online ARDC records show.
In what some might construe as a vast understatement, the complaint said the crimes for which Blagojevich was convicted — including trying to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate, shaking down the owner of a children’s hospital and lying to the FBI — “adversely reflect on his honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer.”
The complaint, dated Aug. 1, comes eight years after the Illinois Supreme Court suspended Blagojevich’s law license indefinitely after his conviction at a second trial on counts of wire fraud, bribery and attempted extortion.
James Grogan, the ARDC’s deputy administrator and chief counsel, said the complaint was served on one of Blagojevich’s attorneys on Aug. 7 — the same day Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was seriously considering commuting Blagojevich’s sentence, a decision that would spring him from prison about five years early.
Grogan said the delay in moving to disbar Blagojevich came because, by Illinois law, regulators have to wait until all appellate options are over before moving to permanently revoke a lawyer’s license.
In April 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the former governor’s appeal, marking the end of a decadelong legal road.
“Unless you agree to essentially disbar yourself, we have to wait," Grogan said.
Blagojevich has until Aug 28 to respond, Grogan said. If nothing is filed, he likely would be found liable by default and automatically disbarred.
Even if the complaint did eventually go to a hearing, it would essentially be a formality, Grogan said, since the only evidence against Blagojevich is his criminal conviction — something he’s not allowed to relitigate before the disciplinary board.
Blagojevich, 62, who served as Illinois governor from 2003 until his impeachment and removal from office in early 2009, is currently scheduled to be released from the low-security federal prison camp outside Denver in March 2024.
He graduated from law school at Pepperdine in 1983 and was admitted to the Illinois bar a year later, records show. His only legal experience came as a young assistant Cook County state’s attorney, where he was assigned to a traffic courtroom years before entering politics.
On the ARDC website, Blagojevich still lists his home address in Chicago’s Ravenswood Manor neighborhood as his registered business address.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
It is all about the timing.
In this scenario, I believe he was installed into office as possible collateral damage when it comes to throwing "The Elected Ones" under the bus, strictly for business purposes of stealin'.
Blogojevich may just come out to tell his story, and it should be quite an interesting one.
I bet Kwame Kilpatrick's story is better.
But, alas, we shall never know for the time being, as Trump keeps obstructing justice by refusing to pull that IG Report from his backpocket.
#sayhisname
State seeks to disbar ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich from practicing law more than 8 years after conviction
 |
| Rod Blagojevich |
When he did buckle down and read, it was often history books, not case law, he said.
“I had a man crush on Alexander Hamilton,” Blagojevich testified at his corruption trial in 2011 about why he almost flunked out of Pepperdine University.
Now, as Blagojevich awaits word at a Colorado federal prison on whether President Donald Trump will commute his 14-year sentence, the Illinois panel that licenses and disciplines attorneys has quietly moved to finally take Blagojevich’s law license away permanently.
Earlier this month, the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission filed a formal complaint citing Blagojevich’s conviction on an array of federal corruption charges and requesting a hearing before a disciplinary panel, online ARDC records show.
In what some might construe as a vast understatement, the complaint said the crimes for which Blagojevich was convicted — including trying to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate, shaking down the owner of a children’s hospital and lying to the FBI — “adversely reflect on his honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer.”
The complaint, dated Aug. 1, comes eight years after the Illinois Supreme Court suspended Blagojevich’s law license indefinitely after his conviction at a second trial on counts of wire fraud, bribery and attempted extortion.
James Grogan, the ARDC’s deputy administrator and chief counsel, said the complaint was served on one of Blagojevich’s attorneys on Aug. 7 — the same day Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was seriously considering commuting Blagojevich’s sentence, a decision that would spring him from prison about five years early.
Grogan said the delay in moving to disbar Blagojevich came because, by Illinois law, regulators have to wait until all appellate options are over before moving to permanently revoke a lawyer’s license.
In April 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the former governor’s appeal, marking the end of a decadelong legal road.
“Unless you agree to essentially disbar yourself, we have to wait," Grogan said.
Blagojevich has until Aug 28 to respond, Grogan said. If nothing is filed, he likely would be found liable by default and automatically disbarred.
Even if the complaint did eventually go to a hearing, it would essentially be a formality, Grogan said, since the only evidence against Blagojevich is his criminal conviction — something he’s not allowed to relitigate before the disciplinary board.
Blagojevich, 62, who served as Illinois governor from 2003 until his impeachment and removal from office in early 2009, is currently scheduled to be released from the low-security federal prison camp outside Denver in March 2024.
He graduated from law school at Pepperdine in 1983 and was admitted to the Illinois bar a year later, records show. His only legal experience came as a young assistant Cook County state’s attorney, where he was assigned to a traffic courtroom years before entering politics.
On the ARDC website, Blagojevich still lists his home address in Chicago’s Ravenswood Manor neighborhood as his registered business address.
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
Friday, December 14, 2018
Michelle Obama Came To Detroit
I have never been a fan of Michelle.
 |
| John Conyers, Jr. & Michelle Obama at Detroit Institute of Arts |
She has refrained from allowing the words of foster care and adoption to leave her lips in public.
That means she is either ignorant, or complicit in the suppression of the trafficking of tiny humans, of which I elect the latter.
I have heard chatter that she has a familiarity with the SOS Children's Village of Illinois, but do not know if she addresses this in her book, as I shall make it a point to never find the time to read it.
I wonder if she shared, in her new book, stories about Bobby Rush and that "royal clique" who have a strong aversion to those who hail from the fairer persuasion.
But, allow me to stop there because opening up to tell one's story is the focus of her book tour.
Perhaps, she could help America become 'a little unlost right now' by telling her story about child welfare and the politics behind it.
Michelle Obama in Detroit: America is 'a little lost right now'
For the women who showed up at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night, seeing Michelle Obama was like meeting up with their super-smart best friend who just happens to be the former first lady of the United States and author of the best-selling hardcover book of the year.
They praised her intelligence, her poise, her grace, her style, her penchant for shopping at Target, her ability to live in the spotlight but remain down to earth. "She was a regular person, she was relatable," said Jacqueline Coleman, who lives in Lansing and brought her sister to the event as a birthday gift.
"She is an African-American woman who stands for peace," said Devin Massengale, who is 34 and lives in Detroit. "She speaks for the people."
But maybe Donna Ford-Brown, a 60-year-old Detroiter, best summed up the connection so many women feel with Obama: "She's us."
Obama took the stage in front of a sold-out audience of about 12,000 as Alicia Key's "Girl on Fire" pumped in the background.
On the latest stop of the book tour for her memoir "Becoming," Obama spoke about growing up in her hardworking family on the south side of Chicago, being a black student at a majority white Ivy League college, how she met her husband and wasn't interested in dating him, at first. "It's really the fuller picture of who they are and how they treat women in the world. That's not something you learn the first date or two," she said. "That's one of the reasons why I don't believe in love at first sight. Love is just so much deeper. ... I got to see that in Barack before I even considered him as a person to date."
Obama talked about the scrutiny that she and her family endured as the first black family in the White House. "We can't make mistakes. We can't get indicted," she said, as the crowd roared with approval at the zing of the current president's administration. "There is a difference in standards," she said. "We are seeing that right now. We live with double standards all the time."
People need to get to know themselves and each other, Obama said. And that's the purpose of her book.
"For me, I knew that, for folks to really understand me, they needed to know my whole story and they needed to know the context of my life. ... I think that's true for all of us. ... We see the superficial. We see each other through stats and skin color and race and party and that tells us nothing about each other ... which is why we feel so disconnected. ... We have to share ourselves with each other if we want to break this cycle of discontent and fear, we have to be brave enough to open ourselves up to each other. ... It's hard to hate up close."
The program, billed as an intimate conversation, was moderated by comedian Phoebe Robinson, who promised a "deep and profound" conversation.
Obama ended up being a motivational speaker ("women need to learn to stop putting themselves last"), big sister ("young people need to explore more possibilities so they don't pick the wrong career") and best friend.
"No matter what we're feeling now, I've traveled all around this country, there is more good, more possibility, more kindness, more openness than than not," Obama said. "The here truly is. I'm an honest broker. If I was seeing stuff ... I would tell you. We're just a little lost right now."
Women described her message as uplifting yet real.
"I think she is a true role model for any person," said Katherine Kochanek, who is 49 and lives in South Lyon.
"I'm so proud of her and what she accomplished," said Denise Coleman of Detroit. Her sister treated her to the event as a birthday gift.
And if she had the chance to talk to Obama, here's what she would say: "Thank you."
Sales of the book, which hit the stores four weeks ago, have exceeded 3 million, according to its publisher, Crown Publishing. The hardcover version of "Becoming" is $32.50.
Also on Tuesday, Obama's book tour was extended to include 21 more cities in 2019.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama makes a surprise visit at the Motown Museum in conjunction with her "Becoming" book tour. Detroit Free Press
Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©
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