The Jussie Smollett trial in Chicago is underway, and it's been quite a show thus far. Fox News correspondent Matt Finn, who's been on this case since it first broke almost three years ago, has been following every twist and turn. One of the key arguments from Smollett's defense team -- which amusingly continues to frame their client as 'a real victim' -- is that the police rushed to judgment and failed to do due diligence before wrongly concluding that the alleged crime was a hoax. That contention blew up in their faces, as Chicago officials testified in great detail just how many resources, and how much time, they devoted to the case. Oops:
Smollett trial — CPD lead investigator testifies case was “not rush to judgement”
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) November 30, 2021
•24-26 detectives & officers on case
•3,000+ hours spent investigating
•watched 1,500 hours of video
The overwhelming evidence proves that Smollett -- evidently frustrated that what police have described as a previous victimhood stunt didn't garner sufficient attention -- recruited a pair of brothers to "attack" him on a freezing January night. He clearly intended the choreographed confrontation to be perceived as racial (he invoked lynching imagery) and political (he claimed that his assailants shouted "this is MAGA country"). It's simultaneously outrageous and hilarious. Outrageous, because he sucked up precious law enforcement resources in a crime-plagued city to chase down a lie he invented for his own selfish personal and professional purposes, while deliberately stoking racial tensions and smearing Trump supporters. Hilarious, because virtually every single component of his little scheme was cartoonishly incompetent. On Gutfeld! this week, we discussed the case, and I mentioned why it represents one of my favorite news stories in recent memory:
Having followed this saga fairly closely, I'll admit that I had never heard one particular detail until opening arguments kicked off at the trial. Via the Chicago Tribune's reporting, this nugget jumped out at me, and the viral nature of my resulting tweet suggests that a lot of people just learned about it, too. Incredible:
Amazing. Smollett brought his "attackers" on a dry run the day before the fake hate crime, and it's on video. pic.twitter.com/vsBQeldtSZ
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 30, 2021
A dry run. On video. Spectacular. One of the most disgusting elements of this whole pathetic episode was the sweetheart deal the local Democratic prosecutor cut with Smollett, infuriating the police and many Chicagoans. That deal was ripped up by the special prosecutor who is now turning the screws to Smollett and his flailing attorneys. This should be an easy verdict. In case you never saw it, do yourself a favor and watch Dave Chappelle's epic Smollett takedown from a Netflix comedy special released months after the hoax (content warning for language):
He actually goes on further in the routine, which I highly recommend. I'll leave you with this:
.@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.