After actor Jussie Smollett was reportedly the victim of a racist and anti-gay hate assault on January 29, 2019, Democratic President Joe Biden and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris posted tweets expressing their support for him.
Smollett, on the other hand, was convicted guilty of lying about the attack by a jury on Thursday. An Illinois jury convicted Smollett guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police about the incident on Thursday evening.
Biden, Harris's old tweets supporting Jussie Smollett resurface
Smollett now faces a maximum sentence of three years in jail though many believe he will probably receive probation and community service. A hearing for the sentence will be scheduled at a later date.
The accusations against Smollett were dismissed after he entered a not guilty plea. Following the judgment, Smollett's lawyer stated that the actor is "100% innocent" and that they are certain that the conviction will be overturned on appeal.
Per Newsweek via MSN, the actor informed police that two white men assaulted him, threw bleach on him, tied a noose over his neck, and said, "This is MAGA country," an abbreviation for Republican former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign slogan.
Prosecutors said that Smollett paid $3,500 to his personal trainer, Abimbola Osundairo, and Abimbola's brother, Olabinjo Osundairo, to orchestrate the attack. Prosecutors claim Smollett staged the incident to earn a pay boost for his part in the Fox TV hop-hop drama 'Empire.'
When questioned on Friday whether Joe Biden and Kamala Harris regretted jumping to judgment in their ardent support of convicted liar Jussie Smollett, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki couldn't resist the opportunity to drag former President Donald Trump into the conversation.
White House "respects" Jussie Smollett verdict
In January 2019, when Smollett claimed he'd been the victim of a hate crime, both Harris and Biden tweeted effusive support for him. When Smollett was arrested, they remained silent, and they have said nothing about his trial.
"Since the guilty judgment, are there any lessons learned here on jumping to judgment when a crime is alleged?" Psaki was asked at a White House briefing on Friday, in light of Smollett's Thursday conviction, Daily Mail reported.
Smollett, 39, claimed Chicago police he was approached by two masked individuals on a darkened roadway. The offenders wrapped a noose around his neck and poured chemicals on him while chanting racial and homophobic obscenities and expressing support for then-President Donald Trump, according to his description of the incident.
Following his conviction for lying, a slew of other political heavyweights and A-list celebrities' words of support for Jussie has resurfaced. Sen. Cory Booker rushed to his defense, echoing Harris' allegations that the incident amounted to lynching and using it as justification for Congress passing an anti-lynching bill.
Kirstie Alley, a Hollywood actress, resorted to Twitter to criticize Jen Psaki's bad manners, describing her as a "mean girl" clone whose condescending approach has grown monotonous.
Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said Friday that the Biden administration "respects" a Chicago jury's decision on Thursday to convict actor Jussie Smollett of five felonies for organizing a 2019 hate crime hoax, adding that fake hate crimes are "shameful" and "ought to be punished." It's uncertain whether Smollett's defense team will take advantage of her suggestion that hoaxers be punished by the court system, as per NY Post.
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