Newly-released text messages reveal an aide to Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx harshly criticized the Chicago Police Department’s conduct during their investigation into the alleged hate hoax carried by Empire actor Jussie Smollett.

CWB Chicago reports:

[A] top Foxx adviser called Chicago police detectives “the worst” as he wrongly blamed those investigators for the “leak” that led to CWB Chicago’s breaking news that a grand jury had charged Smollett with sixteen felony counts. Another staffer calls CWB “the culprit” responsible for reporting the grand jury’s action.

As Breitbart News reported, text messages also show Kim Foxx told her top deputy that Smollett was a “washed up celeb” who was overcharged.

“Sooo……I’m recused, but when people accuse us of overcharging cases …16 counts on a class 4 (felony) becomes exhibit A,” Foxx wrote a staffer on March 8th, the same day Jussie Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts by a Cook County grand jury for filing a false police report on January 29th. Chicago police say Smollett faked a racist and anti-gay attack against himself in downtown Chicago in an attempt to boost his career.

Texts messages from State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to staff about two weeks before charges were dropped on Jussie Smollett. Refers to Smollett as a “washed up celeb who lied to cops.” Texts obtained through FOIA request. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/KWPKQzLQ8h — Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) April 16, 2019

The texts also show Foxx’s office struggled to keep up with a flurry of media requests after the charges were dropped against the Empire star.

“Just wish I could have anticipated the magnitude of this response and planned a bit better,” Risa Lanier, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney, wrote in one message.

In a statement Tuesday, Kim Foxx said she contacted First Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Joseph Magats following Smollett’s indicted to “discuss reviewing office policies to assure consistencies in our charging and our use of appropriate charging authority.”

“I was elected to bring criminal justice reform and that includes intentionality, consistency, and discretion. I will continue to uphold these guiding principles,” she added.

Smollett was initially charged with 16 counts alleging he lied to police when reporting he had been the victim of a racist, homophobic attack in January.

Jussie Smollett, who is black and gay, maintains he told the truth in alleging that two masked men attacked him, yelling racist and anti-gay insults slurs. The actor also claimed that the assailants wrapped a rope around his neck and screamed, “This is MAGA country,” before fleeing.

Prosecutors dropped all charges later that month with little explanation.

Foxx’s office declined to release internal Smollett case files, noting the case had been sealed by a judge.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.