Boston Herald Editorial: “Alleged Chicago hate crime hoax a bad look for many”

As Jussie Smollett’s account of his alleged assault falls apart, it is important to note that politicians, the media and influential voices did their best to fan the flames of outrage, based on nothing but the dark premise that conservatives and Trump supporters are evil.

It is astounding that so many reputable people took Smollett’s fantastical account seriously. Certainly, hate crimes based on race and sexual orientation are a very real thing, but the details surrounding this particular episode centered around a lampoonish representation of a Trump-era bigot.

It was a flimsy yarn from the outset, which only became more precarious with each passing day. That didn’t stop those most deeply invested in the narrative of Evil Trump to jump into action.

Presidential hopefuls Cory Booker and Kamala Harris each labeled the supposed attack a “modern-day lynching,” with Harris adding that, “We must confront this hate.”

Kirsten Gillibrand 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 …”

Joe Biden tweeted, “What happened today to @JussieSmollett must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie.”

It wasn’t only those with presidential aspirations who weighed-in, Democratic-Socialist superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez railed against news accounts that qualified their reporting. “There is no such thing as ‘racially charged,’ She tweeted. “This attack was not ‘possibly’ homophobic. It was a racist and homophobic attack … It is no one’s job to water down or sugar-coat the rise of hate crimes.”

Another freshman congressman, Rashida Tlaib, tweeted, “The dangerous lies spewing from the right wing is killing & hurting our people.”

Not to be outdone, Hollywood notables also reacted as expected. Director Rob Reiner tweeted, “The horrific attack on Jussie Smollett has no place in a decent human loving society. Homophobia existed before Trump, but there is no question that since he has injected his hatred into the American bloodstream, we are less decent, less human, & less loving. No intolerance! No DT!”

The media has comported itself badly as well. Almost immediately after getting the Covington Catholic story so wrong, many in the news industry immediately accepted the Smollett story as true.

Astonishingly, a Washington Post writer named Nana Efua Mumford wrote this: “If Smollett’s story is found to be untrue … The incident would be touted as proof that there is a leftist conspiracy to cast Trump supporters as violent, murderous racists. It would be the very embodiment of ‘fake news.’ And that reason, more than any other, is why I need this story to be true.”

In other words, Trump supporters are violent, murderous racists. That dark premise is a lie, fake news and untrue. Let us hope one half of the country can correct their horrifically jaded view of the other half before we lose ourselves.

Politicians, newsmakers and other influencers must take the lead. […] – February 19, 2019

SandraRose: “Cops Identify Suspects in Jussie Smollett Case; Criminal Charges Expected Friday”

According to CWBChicago.com, police have identified the 2 people as Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo and his brother Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo.

Criminal charges are expected to be filed against the Osundairo brothers by 5:45 p.m. Friday. Cops can only detain suspects for 48 hours if they have reason to believe a crime was committed.

The 2 brothers were taken into custody on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport shortly after they arrived on a flight from Africa.

The Osundairo brothers are residents of Lakeview. They reportedly worked as extras on the Chicago set of FOX’s Empire musical, starring Smollett.

@CWBChicago tweeted an undated photo of director Lee Daniels posing with the muscular brothers on the Empire set.

According to police sources, cops linked the brothers to Smollett and Daniels through phone records.

There are unconfirmed reports that investigators believe Daniels paid the airfare for the brothers to flee Chicago hours after the alleged attack on Smollett.

Also, according to published reports, one of the brothers was involved in a sexual relationship with Smollett, who has a steady boyfriend in Los Angeles.

The brothers were known suspects to Chicago PD for at least a week. Police linked them to Smollett – even as detectives claimed Smollett was a victim and not under investigation.

Days after the alleged hate crime attack on Smollett, police released dark images of 2 persons of interest walking away from the scene of the alleged attack.

Smollett later confirmed the 2 persons of interest in the surveillance image were the men who attacked him. […]

Page Six: “Two Nigerian brothers could be charged in Jussie Smollett attack”

Two Nigerian brothers identified as “persons of interest” in the alleged hate attack on Jussie Smollett could face criminal charges Friday, according to their lawyer.

It’s unclear what the men could be charged with, however, their attorney, Gloria Schmidt, told CBS News.

“They are baffled about why they are people of interest,” Schmidt told the network. “It’s an awful thing that happened to Jussie, but it’s not my guys.”

She said the men, who have not been identified, worked with Smollett on the set of his hit TV show “Empire” and worked out with him at the gym.

But she insisted her clients had nothing to do with the alleged assault on Jan. 29 in Chicago — in which Smollett claims two men shouted racist and gay slurs at him, punched him, doused him with a “chemical substance” that could’ve been bleach and threw a noose around his neck.

Schmidt said the brothers were just as stunned as everyone else over the 2 a.m. beatdown.

“This is someone that they know, this is someone that they’ve worked with,” she said. “So they don’t want to see somebody go through that.”

Sources told the Chicago affiliates for both ABC and CBS on Thursday that investigators were looking into whether the men helped Smollett stage the attack because he was being written off the Fox show.

But the reports were disputed by Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

“Media reports anout [sic] the Empire incident being a hoax are unconfirmed by case detectives,” he tweeted. “Supt Eddie Johnson has contacted @ABC7Chicago to state on the record that we have no evidence to support their reporting and their supposed CPD sources are uninformed and inaccurate.”

In a statement, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment denied Smollett’s character was going anywhere.

“The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of EMPIRE is patently ridiculous,” it said. “He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him.”

The brothers had left for Nigeria the same day as the alleged attack, according to CBS News. They were detained by police after arriving Wednesday at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

Police raided their home in the Windy City, removing bleach, a “black facemask hat,” a red hat, an “Empire” script, receipts and other items.

Critics have cast doubt on Smollett’s account — though the 36-year-old actor and singer has insisted he’s been consistent and truthful during the investigation. […] – Lia Eustachewich, writer

Something about this story sounded suspect to me from jump and I shared my thoughts with friends and family members when the news first broke.

In short: I think it was hook-up gone bad…and Smollett, in a panic, made up this story to try to cover up his mess.

Really really BAD idea and I think he’s going to pay a pretty heavy price when the actual truth comes out.