The story makes no sense. Even liberals can’t spin this for Jussie Smollett, the actor who appears to have faked a hate crime against him. On January 29, Smollett, star of the Fox series “Empire,” said two white men attacked him. They punched in the face, had bleach poured on him, and had a rope tied around his neck. The assailants hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him. Now, it turns out the so-called attackers were two Nigerian brothers, one of which an extra on Empire while the other was reportedly his former personal trainer. Smollett allegedly paid them over $3,000; they bought the rope used in the so-called assault and even held rehearsals. The brothers are cooperating with police and say that this incident was allegedly sparked when a racist letter with white powder sent to Smollett didn’t get enough media attention. The powder was later determined to be aspirin.
Oh, and Smollett reportedly created the racist letter. It’s a full-blown mess and it’s quite possible Smollett could be charged with filing a false police report. Daily Show host Trevor Noah went off-script to not only say this story makes zero sense, but also that this is a classic example of confirmation bias, which liberals fell victim to since they jumped on the bandwagon that this was a horrific hate crime. Some prominent members of the 2020 Democratic field said that this was a ‘modern-day lynching.’ The liberal media peddled it as fact. It wasn’t (via Slate):
As he often does during breaks in taping, Noah went off-script as he addressed the Smollett investigation and the dangers of confirmation bias in a country that is already deeply divided.
“We live in a world where people are too enthusiastic at jumping at stories that confirm their biases, and instead of just pausing and going, ‘what do I make of the story,’” Noah warned. “That’s when I think you have to be even more vigilant, is when it confirms everything you’ve believed.”
The late night host went on to remind the audience that neither side is immune to this practice, however that is not an excuse to continue it.
“This goes for both sides,” said Noah. “But I think increasingly as Trump’s come into power, people have become increasingly willing to accept a story that confirms anything about a Trump supporter or Trump or a white person.”
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Concerning the latest updates, a grand jury hearing has been postponed (via PageSix):
“Empire” star Jussie Smollett may end up dodging potential indictment charges thanks to a last-minute phone call his lawyers made to prosecutors, according to a report Wednesday.
The “Hail Mary” call was made Tuesday — just moments before brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo were set to testify before a grand jury in Chicago, a source close to the investigation told CBS News.
It’s not exactly clear what Smollett’s lawyers told prosecutors, but it was enough for the Cook County prosecutors to postpone the proceeding.
The grand jury was supposed to begin hearing evidence that could have resulted in the TV actor being indicted on felony charges of filing a false police report.
CNN added that police are reportedly asking for Smollett’s financial records as well. This slow-moving trainwreck isn’t done yet.
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UPDATE: Well, here’s the footage of the Nigerian brothers buying items used in the alleged hate crime that’s looking more like a total hoax (via CBS Chicago):
CBS 2 has obtained exclusive video of two men linked to the attack on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett buying a red hat and ski masks from a store the day before the assault.
The video shows what appears to be Ola and Abel Osundairo placing the masks and a hat on the counter. Smollett has claimed two men wearing a similar hat and masks attacked him on Jan. 29 in Streeterville, according to police. CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar made multiple phone calls and visited several stores to obtain the video.
Red hat and ski mask among the items
— Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) February 20, 2019
UPDATE II: Smollett is now a suspect in the hate crime he very well may have orchestrated (via Fox News):
“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was “officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation” by authorities on Wednesday for allegedly “filing a false police report” in connection with his attack claims, Chicago police said.
The update in the case was provided by the department's Chief Communications Officer Anthony Guglielmi on Twitter. Detectives on the case were laying out evidence to a grand jury in Cook County, he said.
Case Update: Jussie Smollett is now officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation by #ChicagoPolice for filing a false police report (Class 4 felony). Detectives are currently presenting evidence before a Cook County Grand Jury. pic.twitter.com/FhDcbBKsuU
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 20, 2019
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