The Jussie Smollett story has hit another bombshell twist.
The criminal case against the “Empire” actor has been thrown out by a judge. What!? Smollett was being prosecuted for allegedly staging a hate crime attack on the morning of January 29.
Smollett’s attorney, Patricia Brown Holmes, revealed the shocking news this morning: “All criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him.
“Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th,” the statement continues. “He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment. Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasted the decision by Cook County prosecutors. With Chicago Police Superintendent, Eddie Johnson, and Kevin Graham, the president of the Chicago police union, by his side, the mayor said that this gives off the impression that if you’re a celebrity, you can just about get away with anything:
“This is a whitewash of justice,” Emanuel said. “This is a person who has been let off scot-free with no sense of the accountability of the moral and ethical wrong of his actions.”
Smollett has maintained his innocence over the last several months. The actor will reportedly surrender his $10,000 bond and perform community service.
“Our son and brother is an innocent man whose name and character has been unjustly smeared. Jussie is a son, a brother, a partner, a champion for human rights, and a genuine soul who would never be capable of what he was falsely accused of. He was the victim of an assault and then falsely blamed for his own attack. This morning truth has prevailed and he has been vindicated. All charges have been dismissed and his record expunged (cleared). The painful incidents we’ve witnessed him endure over the past 7 weeks have been heartbreaking and unjust to say the least. While many were quick to rush to judgement before hearing the actual truth, we are grateful that the truth about Jussie has come to light. We look forward to bringing the real perpetrators to justice. We thank God and our village for standing by us during this trying time.
Foxx, the Cook County State’s Attorney, tried to convince Chicago police to turn the Jussie Smollett case over to the FBI, Chicago newspapers reported.
“According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the effort by Foxx came after a former Michelle Obama chief of staff reached out to Foxx. The newspaper reported that the chief of staff and lawyer was a supporter of Smollett. She was described as Tina Tchen, “a Chicago attorney and former chief of staff for former First Lady Michelle Obama,” by the Sun-Times.
Rumors are swirling of the ties between Chi Prosecutor Kim Foxx and Michelle Obama's former chief of staff Tina Tchen, now at the Southern Poverty Law Center, who have quite possibly colluded to free Smollett.
Here’s my February recap of the events which led us here:
On the evening of January 29th, Smollett, who is black and openly gay, told the Chicago Police Department that he was attacked by two men while he was walking home to his apartment. He alleged that the men shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him, adding the line “this is MAGA country,” poured an "unknown chemical substance" on him before putting a noose around his neck and exiting the scene of the alleged crime. Responding officers, according to a police report, found Smollett with the noose hanging around his neck.
Soon after the media pounced on the story.
There was a tone of absolute certainty. ABC News said “celebrities, lawmakers rally behind Jussie Smollett in wake of brutal attack,” “Jussie Smollett Performs at Troubadour Just Days After Chicago Attack: ‘I Had to Be Here Tonight,’ ” read a Los Angeles Times headline. “The racist, homophobic attack on Jussie Smollett is far-right America’s endgame,” tweeted GQ. "This is America in 2019," CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin lamented. [In fact, a whole video montage has soundbytes of mainstream media reactions to the story.]
This all resulted in celebrities prematurely condemning the attack; Ellen Page sobbed on Stephen Colbert. The cast of Big Bang Theory published a photo on Instagram which had a sign reading “we are with Jussie” Politicians chimed in as well. Cory Booker went on Twitter to say, “The vicious attack on Jussie Smollett was an attempted modern-day lynching.” Joe Biden: “What happened today to Jussie Smollett must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts.” Kamala Harris: “This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin.” And so on and so on.
The words “alleged” or “claimed” weren’t even uttered by these people. Because they needed the story to be true. After the Covington debacle, just a month old mind you, you would think there’d be a more cautious approach to this story, but no.
And so, what a horribly embarrassing predicament to have this end with Smollett, allegedly, having “staged” the attack with two accomplices. This week Chicago’s ABC7 News reported that “multiple sources,” presumably in the Chicago Police Department, confirmed it was indeed a hoax.
The two men police detained, identified only as Nigerian brothers, were picked up at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and taken into custody. At least one of the men worked on Smollett’s show "Empire," according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Soon after, the two men were released, with no charges filed against them. Smollett was then arrested.
Smollett justifiably lawyered up -- hiring Michael Cohen's former defense attorney, Michael Monico, because he was facing a maximum sentence of three years in jail for faking a crime.
The decision today completely undermine all hate crimes that actually do happen.
Marvel's "Ghost Rider" just hired one of the best cinematographers working today. Linus Sandgren will serve as DP on Shawn Levy's MCU flick, and, most notably, the project will be shot on film.