Prosecutors in Chicago have dropped charges in their case against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.
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Tagged: Chicogo, IL, Jussie Smollett, LGBT
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#BREAKING: Prosecutors drop charges in case against Jussie Smollett https://t.co/z2kYETlF39 pic.twitter.com/xI7dD02ui1
— The Hill (@thehill) March 26, 2019
Wow, I guess privilege really is a thing https://t.co/JXHWCBQA4d
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) March 26, 2019
No, no. The new standard is that if charges aren't filed the subject is totes exonerated. LOL. https://t.co/WXI2Uvsawq
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) March 26, 2019
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: "This is a whitewash of justice. A grand jury could not have been clearer." https://t.co/dMcMZ88LGO pic.twitter.com/6onsaICJ5x
— The Hill (@thehill) March 26, 2019
Unless some better explanation surfaces, here’s the lesson of this weird turn in the Smollett case:
You can contrive a hate crime, make it a national news, get caught and-if you are a well-connected celebrity-get off for $10K and have your record expunged and files sealed.— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) March 26, 2019
Hate crimes are loathsome. Faking them is insidious and shouldn’t be excused. Despite Smollett’s denials, nothing the prosecutor said in dismissing the case supports that. If prosecutors have evidence that contradicts the indictment THEY brought, they should share it today.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) March 26, 2019
This is a damaged person https://t.co/JSf50sLHN9
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) March 27, 2019
Hmm: "The initial correspondence started when Michelle Obama's former CoS Tina Tchen, emailed Foxx to say that she was reaching out on behalf of Jussie's family to express "concerns" they had with how the investigation at that point was being handled"https://t.co/ManiBniMSb
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) March 27, 2019
Somebody used his/her influence to get these charges dropped. The state attorney’s statement Is all bovine excrement. If you or I perpetrated a hoax and filed a false police report, it wouldn’t matter if we had served as a community volunteer. We would be in the slammer.
Of course, now Smollett can go around saying he’s been “exonerated.” He hasn’t. And you know others will be encouraged to try similar hoaxes in the future. I didn’t blame the Chicago police for being unhappy with this decision. They and other police departments will have to investigate these stunts, wasting valuable time and resources that could be used on real crimes. If I w ere a taxpayer in Chicago, I would be angry too.
It is hard to believe the prosecutor actually said “we have enough evidence to convict…” but then dropped the charges anyway.
I’m surprised that I agree with David Axelrod:
Hate crimes are loathsome. Faking them is insidious and shouldn’t be excused.
I now hear Smollett plans to sue. Not sure who, but… if I were him, I’d leave well enough alone. As it is, the FBI has been asked by the Chicago police union to investigate, if not this incident, then the alleged hate mail Smollett received. It is widely believed that Smollett composed the letter and mailed it to himself. If so, assuming the feds investigate and find this to be true, Smollett could face some serious federal mail fraud and other charges. And no one with influence will be able to get him off. Such an investigation might reveal a lot of things about Smollett he may not want to be made public. He could end up in the federal penitentiary and lose any civil suit he would be crazy enough to file.
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