Judge sets $100,000 bond for Jussie Smollett, orders 'Empire' actor's passport surrendered

www.goodmorningamerica.com ^ | 02/21/2019 | By Chris Francescani, Stephanie Wash and Eva Pilgrim

[Red Badger]

A Chicago judge set Jussie Smollett's bond at $100,000 on Thursday and ordered him to surrender his passport, hours after a remarkable Chicago Police Department press conference in which Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson blasted the 'Empire' star, saying that Smollett's alleged staging of a hoax attack was a "publicity stunt...to promote his career."

The weeks-long investigation into the alleged hate crime attack –- an alarming account that sizzled with a spectrum of hot button issues ranging from race, sexuality and politics to crime and celebrity -- riveted and distressed a deeply-divided nation.

Standing before Cook County Circuit Court Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke, Jr., Smollett appeared to remain steadfast in his refutation of the felony charge against him. He has repeatedly insisted that the attack was real and that he was merely a victim, not a perpetrator. If convicted of felony disorderly conduct for filing a false report, the actor faces up to three years in prison.

When first assistant state attorney Risa Lanier told Lyke that the actor had picked up two brothers who authorities say carried out the staged attack on him at his direction and showed them the location of where he wanted to be attacked, Smollett shook his head in disagreement.

When Lyke told Smollett that the allegations, if true, are "utterly outrageous," the actor nodded his head in agreement -- doing so again when Lyke said the noose detail would be the most despicable part of the alleged scheme.

The judge also ordered pre-trial monitoring of the actor, and ordered him to stay away from the two brothers he allegedly conspired with to stage the hoax attack, according to police.

Smollett's next court appearance is scheduled for March 14.

The tense courtroom appearance followed on the heels of a morning press conference at which a visibly angry Johnson castigated the actor for betraying his race and his city with such an incendiary false claim.

"Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career," a visibly angry Johnson said. “I am left hanging my head asking ‘why?’. Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? ... How can an individual who's been embraced by the city of Chicago turn around and slap everyone in the city in the face with these false claims?"

Johnson charged that Smollett, an actor on the hit show 'Empire' who has consistently denied any role in staging the alleged attack, orchestrated it because he was "dissatisfied with his salary."

In addition to staging the attack, officials said, Smollett also sent himself a hate-filled letter to the Fox studio where the hit show is filmed. (MORE: How Jussie Smollett relentlessly defended his story against a storm of skepticism)

Smollett turned himself in at 5:15 a.m. local time and made a statement to police before being taken into custody. His lawyers, Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson, were not present at the time but they released a statement the night before.

"Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked. Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense."

Backlash

Police add that Smollett gave no statement to police after turning himself in and that his lawyers had reached out to them Wednesday night to discuss his surrender. Smollett wanted to turn himself in near midnight, but authorities suggested he come in at 5 a.m. instead, to avoid spending the night in jail. Smollett arrived early Thursday morning accompanied by a female lawyer and an entourage of five or six people.

Smollett was silent as he went through the motions of being booked and processed.

By late morning on Thursday, the backlash against the actor began at the top, with an angry tweet from the President of the United States.

".@JussieSmollett - what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA" President Donald Trump wrote in a tweet after the press conference.

In an earlier interview with ABC News, Smollett was asked why he thought he was targeted and he replied that he is a strident critic of the Trump administration.

“I come really really hard against 45," he said. referring to Trump, the 45th U.S. president. "I come really really hard against his administration, and I don’t hold my tongue.”

.@JussieSmollett - what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2019

'I'm offended'

During a press briefing later Thursday morning, Chicago law enforcement officials said that Chicago police detectives interviewed more than 100 people and reviewed dozens of police cameras trying to get to the bottom of Smollett's claims.

Johnson, a well-regarded and popular big city police chief and Chicago native, appeared genuinely aggrieved as he described how, he said, Smollett took advantage of the pain of racism to advance his career.

"Why would anyone use the symbol of a noose" to further his "own public profile," Johnson wondered aloud.

"I'm offended by what happened and I'm angry," Johnson continued. "This publicity stunt was a scar that Chicago didn’t own and certainly didn’t deserve."

Johnson, who oversees one of the nation's largest police departments in one of its most violent cities, seemed disheartened by all the attention paid to the Smollett affair.

“The accusation within this phony attack received national attention for weeks,” Johnson told reporters during a press conference. “Celebrities, news commentators and even presidential candidates weighed in on something that was choreographed by an actor."

"When you get the opportunity," he said with a mixture of derision and frustration, "the shooting victims and their families? Give them the same amount of attention."

Press Briefing: Jussie Smollet is under arrest and in custody of detectives. At 9am at #ChicagoPolice Headquarters, Supt Eddie Johnson, Commander of Area Central Detectives Edward Wodnicki will brief reporters on the investigation prior to the defendants appearance in court. pic.twitter.com/9PSv8Ojec2 — Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 21, 2019

After the press briefing, 20th Century Fox, the station that airs "Empire," released a statement which read, "We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process. We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options." (MORE: Timeline of the alleged Jussie Smollett attack investigation)

'Self-inflicted' wounds

Smollett told police he was attacked by two masked men near his apartment in Chicago. The two men, Smollett initially said, shouted racist and homophobic slurs at him as a rope was wrapped around his neck and a chemical compound was poured on him. The alleged assailants yelled "MAGA country," a reference to President Donald Trump's "Make American Great Again" slogan, police were told.

In an interview with "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts, Smollett said he was heartbroken when he found out that people questioned his story.

Asked why he would leave the rope draped around his neck until police arrived because he "wanted them to see."

"I was looking at myself, just like checking myself out," he told Roberts. "I saw the bruise on my neck, you know, like the little -- the rope burn around my neck. So when the police came I kept the clothes on, I kept the rope on me. ... I mean, it wasn't, like, wrapped around. But, yeah, it was around because I wanted them to see."

Asked why he wait until the second interview to tell police that the assailants yelled “MAGA country” at him during the attack, Smollett seemed to take offense at the insinuation.

"For me, the main thing was the idea that I somehow switched up my story, you know? And that somehow maybe I added a little extra trinket, you know, of the MAGA thing," Smollett said on ABC News. "I didn't need to add anything like that. They called me a f----, they called me a n----. There's no which way you cut it."

'Chicago trusted this young man'

Johnson said on Thursday that Smollett's seeming injuries from the incident also appeared to be phony.

“The brothers had on gloves during the staged attack where they -- they punched him a little bit, but as far as we can tell, the scratches and bruising that you saw on his face was most likely self-inflicted." (MORE: 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing false report after allegedly staging attack: Police)

Police identified and questioned two "persons of interest" captured on surveillance video near the scene around the time of the alleged attack. The men, who are brothers, were arrested on Feb. 13 but then released without charges, with police saying they were no longer considered suspects.

While being questioned by investigators, the brothers claimed that Smollett paid them to help orchestrate and stage the crime after he became upset that a letter threatening him, sent Jan. 22 to the Fox studio where "Empire" is filmed, did not get enough attention, sources told ABC News.

On Wednesday, Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false crime report. By that evening, police officially had classified the actor as a suspect in the ongoing investigation. Detectives subsequently presented evidence to a Cook County grand jury.

"That was a pretty hateful allegation, and it really put a terrible look on Chicago," Guglielmi told ABC Chicago station WLS in a telephone interview Thursday morning. "Chicago trusted this young man. We loved 'Empire,' and we took this very seriously that something this hateful could happen in our city."

ABC News' Monica Escobedo, Michael Rothman, Andy Fies, Will Gretsky and Stephanie Wash contributed to this report.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Some of the liberal types have said, that this will make it harder for anyone to believe future hate crime reports.

Remember the old story of the boy who cried wolf?

[Kickass Conservative]

What they say. Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence.

What they mean. Like any other Liberal / Democrat / Progressive / Socialist, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence

[DoughtyOne]

The guy was making a cool million per year, and wasn’t satisfied.

If you gave me $1 million one time, I could live off it the rest of my life.

He was getting it each year. Just wow...

So unfair for him. /s

[ETL]

[Feb 2nd] Smollett Siblings & Their Ex Black Panther Mom Finally Speak On Jussie’s Racist Attack

iloveoldschoolmusic.com ^ | Feb 2, 2019

The past three days have been deeply trying for Empire actor, Jussie Smollett, to say the least.

After being brutally attacked by racists early Tuesday (January 29, 2019) morning, an ongoing investigation has resulted in several discoveries, but still no suspects apprehended.

Now, Jussie’s five siblings and Moms have decided to address the violent attack, as well as what they plan on doing about it going forward.

FYI: Their Mom was an activist and a member of The Black Panther Party back in the day.

So neither she, nor her kids, will simply take this violent racist/homophobic attack against her baby lying down.

_____________________________________________

From the New York Times...

"Jussie and Jurnee still count their mother, Janet Smollett, as their only acting coach. An African-American from New Orleans, Ms. Smollett met their father, Joel Smollett Sr., a Russian-Polish Jew, in the Bay Area, where they campaigned for civil rights.

“My mom was in the movement with Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, and one of her first mentors was Julian Bond,” Mr. Smollett said of the Black Panther founders and the civil rights leader.

“To this day, Angela Davis is one of her dearest friends. We’ve spent Mother’s Day with Angela.”..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/arts/television/the-smollett-family-business-acting-and-activism.html

_____________________________________________

“My mom was in the movement with Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, and one of her first mentors was Julian Bond,” Mr. Smollett said of the Black Panther founders and the civil rights leader.

“To this day, Angela Davis is one of her dearest friends.

We’ve spent Mother’s Day with Angela.”..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/arts/television/the-smollett-family-business-acting-and-activism.html

_____________________________________________

___________________________________________________

From David Horowitz's FrontPageMag.com/DiscoverTheNetworks.org:
PROFILE: ANGELA DAVIS

* Communist professor at the University of California’s Santa Cruz campus
* Recipient of the Lenin “Peace Prize” from the police state of East Germany in 1979
* Provided an arsenal of weapons to Black Panthers who used them to kill a Marin Country judge in a failed attempt to free Davis' imprisoned lover, Black Panther murderer George Jackson
* Icon of the campus Left and frequent guest speaker at anti-war rallies
* Leader of a movement to free all criminals who are minorities claiming that they are political prisoners of the racist United States
* “The only path of liberation for black people is that which leads toward complete and radical overthrow of the capitalist class.”

Angela Yvonne Davis is a tenured professor in the “History of Consciousness” program at the University of California - Santa Cruz.

A former member of the Black Panther Party, she is currently a “University Professor,” one of only seven in the entire California University system, which entitles her to a six-figure salary and a research assistant.

This income is supplemented by speaking fees ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 per appearance on college campuses, where she is an icon of radical faculty, administrators, and students.

Davis has also taught at UCLA and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1303

[lee martell]

His name will become an adverb, like Justice Bork.
“Don’t even think you can do a Jussie-Smollett on me, I already know you’re full of it!”

[ETL]

“My mom was in the movement with Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, and one of her first mentors was Julian Bond,” Mr. Smollett said of the Black Panther founders and the civil rights leader.

“To this day, Angela Davis is one of her dearest friends.

We’ve spent Mother’s Day with Angela.”..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/arts/television/the-smollett-family-business-acting-and-activism.html

"In 1970 Davis was implicated by more than 20 witnesses in a plot to free her imprisoned lover, fellow Black Panther George Jackson, by hijacking a Marin County, California courtroom and taking hostage the judge, the prosecuting assistant district attorney, and two jurors.

In an ensuing gun battle outside the court building, Judge Harold Haley’s head was blown off by a sawed-off shotgun owned by Ms. Davis.

To avoid arrest for her alleged complicity in the plot, Ms. Davis fled California, using aliases and changing her appearance to avoid detection.

Two months later, Davis was arrested by the FBI in New York City."

https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/angela-davis/

[Red Badger]

Yep, but each and every story must be investigated and not accepted at face value.

From now on, the mediots should actually be skeptical FIRST then check the facts out before they print or broadcast false info.

Have they learned their lesson? We shall see...........

[ETL]

Meet the [35] Police Officers Murdered by the Black Panthers [and BP offshoot Black Liberation Army]

The Professional Gunfighter
Posted in: News, Politics, Terrorism

Below are the names and photos of 35 Police Officers who were murdered by the Black Panthers and the subsequent Black Liberation Army in the 60s, 70s and 80s [click link for list and details].

The Black Liberation Army was an organization that grew out of the Black Panther Party, composed of former Black Panther Party members, operating from about 1971-1980. Another two police officers on the list were murdered by the Weather Underground, a domestic terrorist group with ties to the Black Liberation Army.

Despite this readily available information, today the internet was full of articles criticizing those who were upset by Beyonce’s Super Bowl Halftime performance, and questioning how anyone could be upset over a woman “affirming her blackness.” Their analysis couldn’t have been more off.

We have no issues with someone “affirming their blackness” or any other identity they want to affirm. We do take issue when people pay homage to a group that used terrorism and violence to promote racism and revolutionary socialism – a group that murdered dozens of police officers in cold blood.

As you scroll through the list of officers below, look at their photos and read their stories. Among these officers are black men and white men. Rookies and veterans from across the country. Most were killed in unprovoked attacks and ambushes. They all left behind families….

Perhaps Beyonce, someone from the NFL, and someone representing CBS, could read through this list and tell us if they still stand by their decision to honor the Black Panthers during the Super Bowl. Then perhaps they could explain their answers to the surviving wives and children of these fallen officers. ...”

https://progunfighter.com/murdered-by-the-black-panthers/
_____________________________________

_____________________________________

[FrdmLvr]

It just keeps getting better and better. LOL!

[simpson96]

Hi, Jussie!

How’s your day going?

:)

[Red Badger]

Smollett said Brett Kavanaugh did not deserve a presumption of innocence...............................Karma is a real bitch..................

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

The thing is the left does this crap all the time. Remember when they had black guys start fights at Trump rallies and when security threw them out, they claimed they were thrown out for being black? And then we get to the biggest hoax of them all: The Trump/Russia collusion hoax. Oh yes and the man made climate change hoax and then the Covington hoax and the James Comey Hillary investigation hoax and the Trump is a racist hoax on and on.

[Red Badger]

For the love of money is the root of all evil............ 1 Timothy 6:10......................

[dfwgator]

I thought that was an OJays song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXE_n2q08Yw

[RightGeek]

[Red Badger]

LOLOLOLOL!!!!!!...................

[Red Badger]

Money!Money!Money!Money!Money!...........
Mooooooney!..................

[DoughtyOne]

I watched a movie on J. P. Getty the other night.

Wow. Enough was never enough.

I’m not here to sing the evils of wealth. It’s just that some people are never satisfied.

Normal endeavors to make still more money are not necessarily evil, because creating more wealth involves others having jobs and working, but some folks just succumb to evil to do it. THAT is wrong.

Gifted people who make lots of money, have a rare gene that kicks in for them. I think that’s great. I have no problem with it.

Just don’t give in to evil.

I am not seeking to contradict Jesus/God here.

I do agree that money is the root of evil.

You really do have to be careful how you conduct yourself.

[dfwgator]

That was my jam back in the day.