Almost 70 hours of released police video show actor Jussie Smollett and his manager asking police officers to stop filming him in the aftermath of the alleged hate crime he experienced in January.
In the video from ABC 7 Chicago, Smollett, whose face is blurred, is seen still wearing the rope he claimed his assailants put around his neck. He is heard telling the officers that there is bleach on him. He then removes the rope, and his manager asks the police officers if their body cams are recording him.
"Yeah, this is all being audibly and visually recorded," the officer responds.
Smollett says that he does not want to be filmed. "Ok so can you turn it off?" the manager asks the police officers. The officer confirms that Smollett and the manager are giving them permission to turn off the camera, then does so.
Other released videos show footage of the Osundairo brothers, who Smollett allegedly paid to stage the attack, in a taxi to meet Smollett prior to the staging. The brothers are wearing what appear to be hazmat suits with their faces obscured.
An Illinois judge recently appointed a special prosecutor to review actions of Cook County state attorney Kim Foxx during the investigation into the attack. Foxx initially said she was recusing herself from the case, but later clarified that she meant that in a "colloquial sense" and did not actually formerly recuse herself.
The judge said that the special prosecutor has the authority to investigate both Smollett's actions and the actions of any individual involved in the case.
A jury had initially indicted Smollett on 16 charges of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report as more facts about the case became known. Later, prosecutors dropped the charges and sealed the case's records. Smollett did not admit guilt for filing the false report.