The Jussie Smollett case has captivated the American media for three weeks. Smollett, an actor on Fox’s popular series “Empire” claims that after leaving a Chicago-area Subway sandwich shop at 2am, he was assaulted by two men shouting racist, homophobic, and pro-Trump slogans. The men also, allegedly, poured bleach over him and left him with a noose dangling around his neck.
The shocking crime garnered widespread support and sympathy for Smollett, and virtually the entire field of Democratic Party 2020 presidential hopefuls chimed in as well, denouncing the despicable assault as a further example of bias and hate in America.
The only problem is that the alleged “hate crime” never happened. The two individuals in question were friends of Smollett’s: both had been extras on Empire, and one was his personal trainer. According to their sworn testimony, Smollett paid them USD $3,500 to carry out the attack; they even had rehearsed in beforehand.
As CBS News Chicago reported several days ago:
“The two Nigerian brothers arrested in connection with the assault on ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett are no longer suspects in the attack. They’re now cooperating with police.
A source close to the investigation confirms to CBS News the brothers told detectives Smollett paid them to participate in the alleged attack on January 29 and that they purchased the rope — which was found around Smollett’s neck — at a nearby hardware store. The source said detectives have evidence to corroborate the sale, something the men’s attorney alluded to Friday night.”
Political bias should never get in the way of accurate journalism. Following this story over the past week, it went from somewhat suspicious, to doubtful, to highly dubious, to what has now been proved beyond a shadow of a doubt as an entirely staged fake “hate crime” designed to denigrate and disparage Trump supporters.
Evidence now shows as well, that Smollett wrote himself a racist, homophobic letter (in the guise of a Trump supporter) at the studio, and was angered that he did not get a bigger reaction. Thus, he concocted this elaborate scheme precisely in order to generate media attention. He was unhappy with his salary, and allegedly concerned about being written off the show.
It’s understandable why many Americans loathe Trump, (and that includes a fair number of conservatives, libertarians, classical liberals, moderates, and Republicans as well). Nonetheless…this outrageous incident should mark a turning point for our nation: anti-Trump hysteria and very real and palpable hate for Trump (and his supporters) is also a serious problem that must be addressed.
Smollett is now facing criminal felony charges for this outrageous incident. Those in the media and politics who trumpeted this as yet another example of the “hate” caused by Trump (without actually doing any research or reading) should be ashamed of themselves.
Senators Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders come to mind. They accepted Smollett’s version of the events, despite considerable evidence to the contrary. And why? To score political points.
Remember that this was a crime that had no witnesses and was only reported by Smollett. Everything that the mainstream media reported as “fact” was something that had no corroborating evidence…merely Smollett’s word, which is now clearly worthless.
The police took the matter very seriously: they dedicated considerable resources to solving the case, and became alarmed and concerned when several facts did not add up. Smollett additionally refused to provide his phone records, and surveillance cameras in the vicinity did not correspond to his timeline of events.
Smollett may be a brilliant singer and actor, but a logistical genius he is not. There are now witnesses and surveillance footage that show his friends purchasing the rope and masks used in the attack at a local hardware store close to the crime scene. Unbelievably, Smollett even wrote the brothers a $3,500 check from his own personal bank account. I guess making a cash withdrawal would have been too much trouble?
Hate crimes are real: attacks on various racial, ethnic, religious, or sexual groups, are real.
The mainstream media, in its rush to cover an explosive story (that also placed Trump and his supporters in less than favorable light…again), jumped the gun on this one. It was not the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last. Suffice it to say, a criminal incident that has no corroborating evidence and is based entirely on the word of the alleged victim, deserves a higher level of scrutiny.
Smollett has done a great deal of damage to our country with this one.
In the words of Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson:
“This announcement today recognizes that ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smolett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career. I’m left hanging my head and asking why.”