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Jussie Smollett has brought up the issue of race multiple times during his trial.
The radical left-wing political activist and actor is accused by Chicago prosecutors of staging a fake hate crime against himself and making a false police report.
The 39-year-old actor is accused of lying to police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic assault in Chicago, which never actually occurred.
He allegedly faked a hate crime back in order to politically attack Republicans and Trump supporters. He is charged with 6 counts of felony disorderly conduct.
Smollett went to the Chicago police in January 2019 and falsely alleged he had been assaulted by two people he described as white men who wearing MAGA hats. This class 4 felony carries a sentence of up to three years in prison.
He later changed his story to say his attackers were “pale” because it was the “responsible” thing to go.
Private messages were read aloud in court between Smollett and his alleged attacker Abel Osundairo.
In the messages, Smollett repeatedly used the N-word but he became angry with special prosecutor Dan Webb.
Smollett told Webb not to while reading the texts out loud out of respect for “every African American person in the room.”
Webb apologized and Smollett quipped, “Apology accepted but it’s been used a lot.”
The detailed evidence against Smollett “includes phone records and texts between Smollett and his alleged hired attackers.” Smollet told police that his attackers shouted racial and homophobic slurs and poured an unknown chemical substance on him, which was possibly bleach.
Smollett allegedly used the assistance of his friends, brothers Abimbola and Olabingo Osundairo, who allegedly paid them $3,500 to carry out the hoax. Smollett says it’s “100 false” despite what the Osundairo brothers have already testified.
During the questioning, the prosecution uncovered details about Smollett’s relationship with the alleged attacker.
Smollett says he met Abimbola Osundairo in 2017 at a club. They were also working together on the show Empire at the time.
Smollett explained that they did cocaine together and then went to Steamworks, a popular gay bathhouse where they made out.
On another meeting, Smollett said they continued to do more drugs together and also masturbated together.
Osundairo denied that they were sexually involved. When asked if he regretted the drug use, Smollett said, “Of course,” adding “I’m sitting here in front of a jury, in front of my mom, having to explain it.”
Former U.S. attorney Neama Rahmani said, “Smollett testifying in his own defense is one of two things, or maybe both: a narcissistic criminal defendant who is doubling down on his charged lies to law enforcement or defense attorneys who know they are way behind and are throwing a low probability Hail Mary to try to get their client off.”
“Either way, Smollett’s story was a bizarre attempt at forcing a square peg into a round hole by offering every possible explanation for the state’s digital evidence except the most obvious one: that he is guilty.”
Smollett, who has strong ties to Democrats, currently faces felony charges and faces up to three years in prison.
“We are with you, Jussie,” then-candidate Joe Biden told Smollett leading up to the 2020 presidential elections.
“Homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts,” Biden added.
Kamala Harris, the Obama’s, Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats have also publicly supported Smollett.
