Jussie Smollett's legal team blasts 'organized law enforcement spectacle' and hints at political motive
Jussie Smollett's legal team issued a defiant message Thursday accusing the Chicago police of organizing a "spectacle" and suggesting that politics has something to do with his legal conundrum.
Smollett has been indicted for disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false report about a hate crime, and earlier in the day police said they believe the 36-year-old actor devised a hoax to further his career.
"Today we witnessed an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system. The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a Mayoral election," Smollett's legal team said in a statement. "Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing."
Bernie Sanders enters 2020 presidential race
Watch Full Screen to Skip Ads
The statement appears to be a rebuke against the Chicago police's top official, who said Smollett sent himself a threatening letter and concocted a fake attack because he was unhappy with his salary.
“'Empire’ actor Jussie took advantage of the pain and racism to promote his own career. I am left hanging my head and asking why? Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?” Eddie Johnson, the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, said in a news conference.
[Related: Chicago cops fume over Jussie Smollett dragging city 'through the mud']
Team Smollett's statement also alludes to Chicago's hotly contested mayoral campaign on Tuesday, in which more than 12 candidates are vying to replace Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Emanuel put out a statement after the police press conference, saying Smollett does not represent the city’s values. “All across Chicago, in every neighborhood, there are signs in front yards and windows that read, ‘Hate Has No Home Here.’ It is a sign that expresses our shared values and defines our great city,” Emanuel said in a statement. “Our laws exist to reflect and defend those values, and hate crimes will never be tolerated.”
He added: “A single individual who put their perceived self-interest ahead of these shared principles will never trump Chicago’s collective spirit."
Smollett faces a felony charge of disorderly conduct and several years of prison time after he filed a police report claiming he was attacked by two men Jan. 29 in Chicago. Smollett, who is black and gay, claimed two white men yelled racist and homophobic slurs, tied a rope around his neck, and poured bleach on him.
Police said two people, Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, who are black, were taken into custody and questioned by police about the alleged attack. Johnson said the brothers told police Smollett staged the attack because he was unhappy with his salary. Johnson also said the brothers participated in Smollett's scheme because they were offered money: $3,500 before and another $500 after the alleged attack.
On Thursday, a judge set a $100,000 bond for Smollett as he awaits trial and prosecutors released a four-page summary of his actions. That summary says it was Smollett's idea to have one of his friends, Olabinjo Osundairo, indicate he was a supporter of President Trump during the fake attack. "Defendant Smollett also included that he wanted Ola to place a rope around his neck, pour gasoline on him and yell 'This is MAGA Country,'" it said.
[Also read: Al Sharpton snaps at reporter who asked if Harris, Booker jumped to conclusions on Jussie Smollett]
With speculation rising that his career is in jeopardy, Variety reported Thursday evening that Smollett was spotted back on the "Empire" set hours after being released from police custody. The show is wrapping up filming for its fifth season and there is about an episode and a half left to film after Smollet was given a few days to deal with his legal situation.
Earlier in the day, the network behind the series said it was weighing its options in regards to Smollett.
“We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process,” 20th Century Fox and Fox Entertainment said in a statement Thursday. “We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options.”