Trump: FBI, DOJ to review ‘outrageous’ Jussie Smollett case

President Trump in an early morning tweet on Thursday said the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) will review the “outrageous” case against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.

“FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago,” the president said.

“It is an embarrassment to our Nation!” he added.

 

{mosads}The president did not provide details, but two unidentified law enforcement officials told ABC7 in Chicago that FBI agents are reviewing the circumstances around the dismissal of charges against Smollett.

The 36-year-old performer had been charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false report after he told Chicago police he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.

Prosecutors dropped the charges on Tuesday in a twist that sparked allegations of “leftist privilege” by some conservatives.

“After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,” the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

“We stand by the Chicago Police Department’s investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case,” the statement continued.

Smollett’s attorneys said the actor’s “record has been wiped clean” in a statement released Tuesday.

Smollett had told Chicago police in January that he was assaulted by two men who beat him, placed a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him as they yelled racial and homophobic slurs. He later told authorities that the two alleged assailants also shouted the pro-Trump phrase, “This is MAGA country!”

Chicago police originally said they considered Smollett the victim of a “possible hate crime,” but later accused him of arranging the attack against himself and paying two men to stage it.

“This stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his [‘Empire’] salary,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in February during a news conference.

“Do I think justice was served? No,” Johnson said on Tuesday.

“I think this city is still owed an apology,” he added.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul (D) was reportedly asked to review the “integrity” of the case on Wednesday.