An overwhelming majority of Americans (80%) feel “Empire” actor and alleged hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett received “special treatment” after Chicago prosecutors abruptly dismissed all 16 felony charges against him for staging an attack, according to a new Rasmussen poll.
Just 10% think Smollett “has been punished enough,” Rasmussen reports.
The majority percentage rises among respondents who have been following the Smollett saga “Very Closely”:
“Sixty-seven percent (67%) of all Americans say they have been following recent news reports about Smollett and the decision to drop felony charges against him in Chicago, with 29% who have been following Very Closely,” writes Rasmussen. “Among those who have been following the story Very Closely, 89% think Smollett got special treatment from Chicago prosecutors.”
This sentiment is consistent across demographics, which Blacks (71%) just slightly less convinced than whites (83%) and other Americans who identify as minorities (77%).
Smollett was charged earlier this month on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging a hate crime in Chicago.
The charges were thrown out by State Attorney Kim Foxx, who had previously recused herself from the investigation citing a conflict of interest because of her connections, as MRCTV reported.
The media attempted to paint Smollett as a victim after the charges against him were dropped, though most Americans clearly dismiss that depiction.
Despite the media's narrative, some celebrities including comedians Chris Rock and Tracy Morgan and sports commentator Charles Barkley continue to criticize Smollett, saying what he did was wrong.
The Rasmussen survey of 1,000 likely U.S. voters was conducted March 31-April 1 and has a margin sampling error of 3 percentage points.