WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump announces Thursday that the FBI and Justice Department will review Illinois prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges against a US television actor accused of fabricating a hate crime.
Calling the Chicago case involving “Empire” star Jussie Smollett “outrageous,” Trump says: “It is an embarrassment to our Nation!”
Prosecutors said they had shelved all 16 felony charges against Smollett in exchange for an agreement that he carry out community service and forfeit a $10,000 bond payment.
But Smollett’s lawyers claimed there was no such agreement, saying the state simply “dismissed the charges,” and that the actor was the victim of a rush to judgment.
The 36-year-old, one of the main cast members on Fox musical drama “Empire” alongside Taraji P. Henson, was accused of masterminding a hoax attack in downtown Chicago to gain publicity and secure a bigger paycheck.
— AFP
Jussie Smollett speaks with the media after his court appearance at Leighton Courthouse on March 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images/AFP)
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