Jussie Smollett’s guilty verdict in the 2019 hoax, which included him staging a hate crime against himself, has led to fierce criticism against the Democrats who quickly rushed to support the disgraced “Empire” actor.
“The racist, homophobic attack on @JussieSmollett is an affront to our humanity. No one should be attacked for who they are or whom they love,” a now-deleted tweet from House Speak Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on January 29, 2019 read.
“I pray that Jussie has a speedy recovery & that justice is served. May we all commit to ending this hate once & for all,” Pelosi added.
Hello @SpeakerPelosi, it appears you’ve deleted this tweet….care to explain why? #JussieSmollett #JussieHoax pic.twitter.com/MKjqbK8hqI
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) February 18, 2019
Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Speaker Pelosi, told Business Insider, revealed in 2019 the explanation for the deleted post.
“As the Speaker who passed the fully inclusive Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, we spoke out because this appeared to be a deeply troubling incident of violence motivated against vulnerable communities,” Hammill said.
“Given the turn in the investigation, we decided to no longer amplify the original accusation. Following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation, we will comment further. We should all be united in fighting racism and homophobia,” he added.
Pelosi has yet to “comment further” regarding the Smollett verdict.
The incident was noted in a Chicago police report in January 2019 regarding “a possible hate crime.”
Chicago Police Department just sent out this statement re:
Jussie Smollett pic.twitter.com/DxQswZn8xd— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 29, 2019
Pelosi’s support was originally posted by 6:40 p.m. the same day according to the time in the image’s timestamp.
Several other prominent Democrats also instantly responded with support for Smollett despite not knowing the facts about the situation. Among them was New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
“There is no such thing as ‘racially charged,’” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
“This attack was not ‘possibly’ homophobic. It was a racist and homophobic attack,” she added. “There is no such thing as ‘racially charged.’”
This attack was not “possibly” homophobic. It was a racist and homophobic attack.
If you don’t like what is happening to our country, then work to change it. It is no one’s job to water down or sugar-coat the rise of hate crimes. https://t.co/QAi0IYtSeR
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 30, 2019
As The Daily Wire reported on Thursday, Smollett was found guilty on five out of six counts of disorderly conduct.
5 out of 6
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) December 9, 2021
“Smollett was found not guilty about lying about aggravated battery. That charge was because his attackers were wearing masks,” Fox News reporter Matt Finn added.
Smollett was found not guilty about lying about aggravated battery. That charge was because his attackers were wearing masks.
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) December 9, 2021
The Daily Wire reported in 2019:
Smollett contends he was targeted by two Trump supporters, who verbally and physically accosted him as he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop in downtown Chicago on January 29. The actor says the men called him a “f*****” and a “n*****,” tied a noose around his neck, poured bleach on him, and kicked him in the ribs.