Prosecutors say a stunning decision to drop charges against Empire star Jussie Smollett does not mean they no longer believe he staged a racial and homophobic attack against him in January.
First Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Magats told reporters that he still believes Smollett filed a false police report.
He says prosecutors “stand behind the investigation and the facts”, and added that “this was not an exoneration”.
A minimum requirement for the dropping of charges is typically that a defendant accepts some responsibility and offers an apology.
But speaking after prosecutors told a judge they were dropping all charges, Smollett conceded nothing and did not apologise.
He insisted he had been “truthful and consistent on every single level since day one”.
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