Surprise: Chicago Mayor Now Blaming President Trump for Jussie Smollett Alleged Hate Crime Hoax

Monica Sanchez | March 29, 2019
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Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is blaming none other than President Trump for the ongoing fiasco involving “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who, mind you, is no longer facing charges for allegedly staging a hate crime in the city last month after a questionable state attorney had them thrown out.

Emanuel speaking to reporters on Thursday said that the President should “sit on the sidelines and stay out” of the ongoing drama over Smollett and that the “only reason” this happened was “because of … the toxic environment that Donald Trump created.”

“My recommendation is the president go to Opening Day baseball, sit on the sidelines and stay out of this," Emanuel said.

“Let me be clear about something,” he went on. “The only reason Jussie Smollett thought he could take advantage of a hoax about a hate crime is because of the environment, the toxic environment that Donald Trump created.”

Emanuel continued, “This is a president who drew a moral equivalency between people who are trying to perpetuate bigotry and those who are trying to fight bigotry,” referring to Trump’s response to the Charlottesville, Va., rally last April.

“As somebody who has started his own journey in politics fighting the neo-Nazis in Skokie and then down to Marquette Park, President Trump should literally take his politics, move it aside,” said the mayor. “He's created a toxic environment and now he's created a toxic, vicious cycle in my view. The only reason Jussie Smollett thought he could get away with this hoax about a hate crime is because of the environment President Trump created.”

Well, that's a stretch.

His remarks come after President Trump tweeted that the FBI and the Department of Justice should "review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago." 

Emanuel, who won’t be seeking a third term after a tough reelection battle last year, also called on Smollett to reimburse the city of Chicago with the explanation of, “I’m accountable for the hoax,” to be written on the memo line.

As MRCTV reported, the city of Chicago is demanding $130,100.15 to reimburse the cost of investigating his alleged “hate crime.”

That’s understandable, as the terms for dropping the charges against Smollett only stipulated the actor forfeit his $10,000 bond and do fewer than 20 hours of community service, which his lawyers claim he did so voluntarily.

After the shocking and sudden news made headlines that the 16 felony charges against Smollett were dropped despite evidence provided by the Chicago Police Department attesting to a staged attack, Emanuel held a press conference with CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson calling it "a whitewash of justice."

 

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