Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) must be wishing she never tweeted in defense of Jussie Smollett, as the entire “hate crime” he orchestrated in 2019 was found to be a hoax.
Just after news of the alleged attack broke in 2019, Gillibrand was quick to hop on the bandwagon in defense of the “Empire” actor.
She tweeted: “This is a sickening and outrageous attack, and horribly, it’s the latest of too many hate crimes against LGBTQ people and people of color. We are all responsible for condemning this behavior and every person who enables or normalizes it. Praying for Jussie and his family.”
This is a sickening and outrageous attack, and horribly, it's the latest of too many hate crimes against LGBTQ people and people of color. We are all responsible for condemning this behavior and every person who enables or normalizes it. Praying for Jussie and his family. https://t.co/eylvxhLT0u
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) January 29, 2019
The senator clearly believed the actor’s story from day one, despite the disclaimer on the article she shared, which described the incident as a “possible hate crime.”
On December 9, Smollett was found guilty of five Class 4 felonies for telling police officers and detectives he was attacked by purported Trump supporters. The “Empire” actor pretended his attackers targeted him for being gay and black by pouring bleach on him and throwing a noose around his neck. Later, details of his story didn’t add up.
These lies led to a court case against Smollett which was closed to the public. The jury reached their decision after about nine hours of deliberation, finding the actor guilty on five out of six counts of disorderly conduct. He has not yet been sentenced.
Gillibrand’s Twitter has remained noticeably silent in the aftermath of the Smollett verdict. But you’d think the senator would have learned her lesson by now.
The Daily Wire previously reported that Gillibrand was furious that not every accusation of sexual assault leads to a conviction, even though some claims are eventually disproven. As a vocal “believe all women” (and possibly “believe all actors”) advocate, Gillibrand just can’t stop getting it wrong.
“The percentage of cases [of sexual assault] that are ending in conviction are going down,” Gillibrand said during a hearing to reappoint Gen. James C. McConville. “I am tired of excuses. I am tired of statements from commanders that say ‘zero tolerance.’ I am tired of the statement I get over and over from the chain of command ‘we got this ma’am, we got this.’ You don’t have it. You’re failing us.”
However, the senator failed to acknowledge that the definition of sexual assault is vague and often misleading, which is how she keeps pushing the lie that “one in five women are sexually assaulted.”
The Daily Wire reported that women in the military are often encouraged to lie or exaggerate claims of assault just like they are on college campuses. One woman who made up a claim about sexual assault was later named soldier of the year and received lifetime service-connected disability for her alleged Military sexual trauma.
Defending fake victims appears to be a real interest for Gillibrand, who once again finds herself standing on the wrong side of the truth.