Nancy Pelosi Deletes Jussie Smollett‘s 'Racist, Homophobic Attack' Tweet
Attack is believed to be orchestrated by the actor himself
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Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deleted her tweet which called Empire actor Jussie Smollett the victim of a 'racist and homophobic hate crime' after reports since emerged that he staged the hoax.
Smollett alleged last month that he was the victim of a homophobic and racist attack by two men who supposedly yelled “This is MAGA Country” after beating him up.
The incident prompted support from Democrats and Hollywood celebrities, including Pelosi who politicized the now allegedly fake incident.
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“The racist, homophobic attack on [Smollett] is an affront to our humanity. No one should be attacked for who they are or whom they love,” Pelosi had written on January 29th.
“I pray that Jussie has a speedy recovery [and] that justice is served. May we all commit to ending this hate once [and] for all.”
But Chicago Police confirmed that the investigation had dramatically shifted focus.
CNN crime and justice reporter Shimon Prokupecz reported that authorities had discovered that “Smollett paid two men to orchestrate the assault,” before adding that “the two men are now cooperating fully with law enforcement.”
Following the alleged 'assault' Pelosi quickly jumped on the bandwagon along with 2020 presidential hopefuls like Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) who said it was an example of “modern-day lynching.”
Others used the fake attack to target President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
But unlike Pelosi, Booker and Harris have not yet deleted their tweets, and have not offered any remarks on the case’s latest developments.
The vicious attack on actor Jussie Smollett was an attempted modern-day lynching. I'm glad he's safe.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) January 29, 2019
To those in Congress who don't feel the urgency to pass our Anti-Lynching bill designating lynching as a federal hate crime– I urge you to pay attention. https://t.co/EwXFxl5f2m
.@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 29, 2019
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. We must confront this hate.
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Smollett’s attorneys have released a statement denying their client’s planned involvement in the attack.
“As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with,” they wrote.
“He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on Sunday the interview had not yet been conducted, according to a report from The Guardian.
He declined to comment on published reports that police believe Smollett staged the assault or that a grand jury may hear evidence in the case.
The reports cited police sources that are still unnamed.
“We’re not confirming, denying or commenting on anything until we can talk to him and we can corroborate some information that we’ve gotten,” Guglielmi said.
Smollett’s lawyers stated the actor felt “victimized” by accusations he orchestrated the assault:
“Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”
