A prosecutor told jurors Wednesday there is “overwhelming evidence” that former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett staged an alleged racist, anti-gay attack against himself in downtown Chicago for publicity, then lied to police about it.
Special prosecutor Dan Webb said during his closing argument that what Smollett did in January 2019 caused Chicago police to spend enormous amounts of time and resources investigating an alleged crime that turned out to be fake. Smollett, who is black and gay, told police someone put a noose around his neck and yelled racist and homophobic slurs.
“Besides being against the law, it is just plain wrong to outright denigrate something as serious as a real hate crime and then make sure it involved words and symbols that have such historical significance in our country,” Webb said. He also accused Smollett of lying to jurors.
“At the end of the day he lacks any credibility whatsoever,” Webb said.
An attorney for Smollett, 39, was expected to give a closing argument later Wednesday before the jury begins deliberating whether Smollett is guilty on six counts of a low-level felony for making what prosecutors say was a false police report about the alleged attack.
He faces one count of felony disorderly conduct for each time he gave a report to three different officers.
Actor Denies Attack was Fake, Testifies CNN Host Tipped Him Off About Police Suspicions
Taking the witness stand this week, Smollett repeatedly denied the attack was a fake, telling a prosecutor “there was no hoax on my part” and that two brothers who testified against him are “liars.”
Smollett called the Osundairo brothers’ testimony that he paid them $3,500 to carry out the fake attack “100% false,” and described how he was the victim of a hate crime while walking in his neighborhood early on Jan. 29, 2019. He also testified that a $3,500 check he wrote for Abimbola Osundairo was for meal and workout plans because he was trying to get in shape for an upcoming music video.
The brothers testified last week that the fake attack was Smollett’s idea and that he gave them $100 to buy supplies including a rope to tie a noose around his neck, and directed them to yell racial and gay slurs and “MAGA.”
While on the stand, Smollet also testified that CNN late-night host Don Lemon tipped him off to the skepticism of the Chicago police to his story, according to the Media Research Center’s Newsbusters. But that remark was stricken from the record.
The media watchdog also reported later that night during their coverage of the trial, Lemon and CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez left out the part about the actor naming Lemon during his testimony.
But other news outlets did not.
“Smollett testified during investigation he got a text from Don Lemon — saying CPD didn’t believe him,” reported Fox News correspondent Matt Finn on Twitter. Adding: “(Smollett {sic} talking fast here before an objection. Not verbatim.)”
“Don Lemon allegedly texted the former TV star shortly after he claims he was attacked in Chicago in February 2019, to say that Chicago’s Police Department wasn’t taking his allegations seriously,” The Daily Mail’s Greg Woodfield, Andrea Blanco, and Stephen Lepore reported.
Network’s Lengthy Interview with Actor Telling His Story of Alleged Attack
As Smollet waits to hear what a jury will say about his fate, one network news outlet is apparently trying to clean up its tarnished image over its original coverage about the actor’s alleged attack.
Newsbusters reports ABC News is trying to get its viewers to forget their coverage of Smollett’s claims that a MAGA-loving mob assaulted him on a frigid Chicago night. Now at the height of his trial, the media watchdog says ABC is attempting to bury the story.
Newsbusters noted how the actor’s accusations quickly unraveled and with it, ABC’s story. It also reported ABC’s World News Tonight completely skipped the story during its Monday broadcast. On Tuesday, the network’s Good Morning America program didn’t mention it either.
Since Smollet’s trial began, ABC has only given 22 seconds of their airtime to cover the trial, according to Newsbusters which also reported Good Morning America has offered no coverage. This is in contrast to the morning show’s lengthy coverage (17 minutes and 52 seconds) of host Robin Roberts’ exclusive interview with Smollet on Feb. 14, 2019, in which he recounted his claims about MAGA terrorists with a noose.
Newsbusters also noted that CBS News had finally started reporting on Smollet’s trial, giving it a total of 5 minutes and 10 seconds of coverage over the last two days. And the website also found CBS reporters and anchors also appear to be skeptical about the actor’s testimony.
The media watchdog recognized NBC News as the network that has given the most coverage of the actor’s trial with eight minutes and eight seconds. It also mentioned reporter Ron Allen who brought up the Trump connection by Smollet who repeated what his attackers said after yelling slurs, beating him, and throwing bleach on him: “This is MAGA country.”
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