CHICAGO — It seemed strange enough the Sun-Times editorial board on Monday "strongly" endorsed Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx for a second term, telling voters to spare her the "injustice" of letting a "single high-profile mistake ... overshadow her accomplishments."



Foxx's "single" flub, of course, was cutting a deal to drop felony charges against actor Jussie Smollett, who police say faked a hate crime last year, and misleading the public about recusing herself from the case, among other things. By Tuesday afternoon, the paper's early support of Foxx's re-election bid grew even more shocking when word got out that special prosecutor Dan Webb obtained an indictment of Smollett on six new charges related to filing false reports that he was the victim of a homophobic hate crime, and said the investigation to determine whether "any person or office involved in the Smollett case engaged in wrongdoing" continues.

Until you follow the money, that is. What the paper doesn't tell readers is that members of the Sun-Times ownership team, who rightfully wield influence over editorial board decisions, also play a significant role in bankrolling Foxx's campaign.

Online, the Sun-Times includes a footnote about its "civic-minded and, in some cases, politically active investors" that suggests to readers that if they want to learn more they can search campaign records themselves. But there's no mention of the $301,250 Sun-Times investor Michael Sacks has personally pumped into Foxx's campaign since September.

The endorsement doesn't include a disclaimer revealing the political action committees controlled by the Service Employees International Union (part of a collection of unions that own the paper) kicked in $425,000 to support Foxx's campaign in the last four months, according to public records.

There wasn't a single sentence about the $25,000 Sun-Times investor and politically connected real estate investor Elzie Higginbottom donated in October that the Friends of Foxx campaign didn't report receiving until Jan. 15, according to state election board records.