Jussie Smollett Called 'Washed Up Celeb Who Lied To Cops' In Texts From Chicago State Attorney

Heightened attention has surrounded the Cook County, Illinois, State's Attorney office over its handling of the case involving "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused in February of staging a hate-crime assault and later had charges dropped after being indicted on 16 felony counts of filing a false police report.

On Tuesday, text messages revealed from an open-records request revealed that the State's Attorney, who had recused herself from the case, worried that a "washed up celeb who lied to cops" was being overcharged in comparison to R&B singer R. Kelly, who faces 10 charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

"Sooo…...I’m recused, but when people accuse us of overcharging cases...16 counts on a class 4 (felony) becomes exhibit A," State's Attorney Kim Foxx texted to her top deputy, Joe Magats, on March 8.

Foxx referenced R. Kelly as a "pedophile."

"Pedophile with 4 victims 10 counts. Washed up celeb who lied to cops, 16. On a case eligible for deferred prosecution I think it's indicative of something we should be looking at generally. Just because we can charge something doesn't mean we should. It’s not who we want to be," the text message read.

Foxx issued a statement on Tuesday to address the concerns within the text chains, claiming she spoke with Magats "to discuss reviewing office policies to assure consistencies in our charging and our use of appropriate charging authority" and that she "was elected to bring criminal justice reform and that includes intentionality, consistency, and discretion."

Staff also exchanged texts after charges against Smollett were dropped and the State Attorney’s Office began facing blowback from Chicago Police. Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Risa Lanier texted that she wishes she "could have anticipated the magnitude of this response and planned a bit better."

Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard is currently investigating Foxx’s office for their handling of the Smollett case.