On Thursday, Jussie Smollett was found guilty of lying to police to stage a “hate crime” against himself in 2019. A jury convicted the 39-...
On Thursday, Jussie Smollett was found guilty of lying to police to stage a “hate crime” against himself in 2019.
A jury convicted the 39-year-old actor on five counts of disorderly conduct, one count for each time he was charged with lying to police in the days following the orchestrated attack. He was acquitted on one count of lying to a detective weeks after the incident, according to The Associated Press.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki commented on the guilty verdict by focusing on former President Donald Trump.
“I think there are lessons learned perhaps for everybody who commented at the time, including former President Trump,” Psaki said.
She then alluded to Trump’s comments on the “hate crime” hoax. “I can tell you that it’s horrible. It doesn’t get worse,” he said in February 2019, according to Politico.
Psaki also said the Biden administration respects the jury’s decision and that lying to police must be punished.
“False accusations divert valuable police resources away from important investigations, they make it harder for real victims to come forward and be believed,” Psaki said.
Now-President Joe Biden tweeted in support of Smollett at the time of the fake attack.
“What happened today to [Smollett] must never be tolerated in this country,” Biden said. “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.”
Now-Vice President Kamala Harris also voiced sympathy and support for Smollett.
“This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate,” she tweeted.
Other high-profile politicians, including Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, tweeted similar comments about Smollett’s case.
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