CNN’s Van Jones Shames Jussie Smollett: You’ve ‘Hurt the Cause Against Racism, Homophobia’
After Empire actor Jussie Smollett turned himself in to Chicago police on felony charges of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging a hate-crime assault, CNN political commentator Van Jones lamented the ordeal as the “fall of an icon” in the black community and a “tragedy beyond words.”
During a Thursday press conference following Smollett’s arrest, Chicago Police Department superintendent Eddie Johnson expressed anger and frustration over the details of Smollett’s alleged hoax, noting that the entertainer paid two brothers $3,500 to orchestrate the attack because he was “dissatisfied with his salary” on Empire. Johnson further said that Smollett “took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career.”
Following the presser, Jones acknowledged that Smollett likely staging a hate crime and blaming it on Trump supporters was the “opposite” of bringing people together.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here