Special prosecutor in ‘Rust’ case STEPS DOWN handing victory to actor Alec Baldwin

Actor Alec Baldwin has succeeded in removing Andrea Reeb from the ‘Rust’ shooting case after the special prosecutor announced she was stepping down.

In a victory for actor Alec Baldwin, Andrea Reeb, the special prosecutor in the case against him, announced on Tuesday, March 14, that she was stepping aside. She had been in charge of investigating the fatal shooting in New Mexico on October 2021 of the 42-year-old camerawoman Halyna Hutchins on the set of ‘Rust’.

Baldwin’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, filed a motion in February asking for the Republican to be removed from the case. They claimed Reeb had been compromised as a result of her new position and therefore ineligible to continue after being elected to the New Mexico house last November, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

‘Ms. Reeb’s continued service as a special prosecutor in this case is unconstitutional. The legal question is not a close one. She must be disqualified’, commented Nikas at the time. His client is known to be an ardent Democrat.

Section 1 of Article III of the New Mexico Constitution, states that a sitting member of the Legislature may not ‘exercise any powers properly belonging’ to either the executive or judicial branch, Nikas pointed out.

‘As a special prosecutor, Representative Reeb is vested by statute with ‘all the powers and duties’ of a District Attorney, who is considered to be a member of either the judicial or executive branch of the New Mexico government’, he explained.

After conducting her investigation into the shooting incident on behalf of the Santa Fe district attorney’s office, Reeb concluded that the blame for the death of Hutchins lay firmly with the film’s producer – Baldwin – and his production team

In a statement released by the District Attorney on Tuesday, Reeb said: ‘After much reflection, I have made the difficult decision to step down as special prosecutor in the ‘Rust’ case. My priority in this case – and in every case I’ve prosecuted in my 25-year career – has been justice for the victim’.

‘However, it has become clear that the best way I can ensure justice is served in this case is to step down so that the prosecution can focus on the evidence and the facts, which clearly show a complete disregard for basic safety protocols led to the death of Halyna Hutchins. I will not allow questions about my serving as a legislator and prosecutor to cloud the real issue at hand’, she insisted.

‘We’re trying to definitely make it clear that everybody’s equal under the law, including A-list actors like Alec Baldwin’, Reeb stated at the time the charges against Baldwin were announced. Reeb is a former District Attorney for New Mexico’s Ninth Judicial District.

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