2 law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN that Chicago Police believe actor Jussie Smollett paid two men to orchestrate an assault on him that he reported late last month. Smollett denies playing a role in his attack, according to a statement from his attorneys. The men, who are brothers, were arrested Wednesday but released without charges Friday after Chicago police cited the discovery of "new evidence." The sources told CNN the two men are now cooperating fully with law enforcement.
Smollett told authorities he was attacked early January 29 by two men who were "yelling out racial and homophobic slurs." He said one attacker put a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him. The sources told CNN there are records that show the two brothers purchased the rope found around Smollett's neck at a hardware store in Chicago. Smollett's attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, issued a statement to CNN Saturday night saying Smollett was angry about these latest developments. "As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with," the statement read. "He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying." Smollett's attorneys said they expect further updates from Chicago police on the investigation and will continue cooperating with authorities. "At the present time, Jussie and his attorneys have no inclination to respond to 'unnamed' sources inside of the investigation, but will continue discussions through official channels," the statement read. Smollett identifies as gay and since 2015 has played the gay character of Jamal on the Fox TV drama "Empire." What happened According to Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, the actor told detectives he was attacked by two men near the lower entrance of a Loews hotel in Chicago. Police were told the two men yelled "'Empire' fa*t" and "'Empire' n*er'" while striking him. The day after the incident, police released surveillance images that showed two silhouetted individuals walking down a sidewalk, and police said they were wanted for questioning.
The two men were arrested Wednesday. Police on Friday said the men were being viewed as "potential suspects" and that detectives had "probable cause that they may have been involved in an alleged crime." But by Friday night they had been released, Guglielmi said, "due to new evidence as a result of today's investigations." "And detectives have additional investigative work to complete," he added. One of the men has appeared on "Empire," Guglielmi said. Smollett has expressed frustration about not being believed Following the alleged attack, Smollett's colleagues and fans rallied around him, expressing shock. "We have to love each other regardless of what sexual orientation we are because it shows that we are united on a united front," Lee Daniels, the creator of "Empire," said in a video posted to his Instagram page on January 29. "And no racist f*** can come in and do the things that they did to you. Hold your head up, Jussie. I'm with you." Smollett gave his first detailed account of what he says was a hate crime against him, and the aftermath, in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" that aired Thursday. During the interview he expressed frustration at not being believed. "It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim or a Mexican or someone black I feel like the doubters would have supported me a lot much more," Smollett said. "And that says a lot about the place where we are as a country right now."
Smollett also refuted reports that said he told police the attackers wore "Make America Great Again" hats. "I never said that," he told ABC's Robin Roberts. "I didn't need to add anything like that. They called me a f**t, they called me a n**r. There's no which way you cut it. I don't need some MAGA hat as the cherry on some racist sundae."
Whatcha doin' over there rab… I mean strong black man?
Jacob Stewart
The real issue is that people could be emotionally influenced in the first place. The fact that people find you, your actions, and/or your ideology absurd and reprehensible doesn't have any effect on the morality or truth value of your actions or ideology.
Easton Murphy
AY YO NIGGA… THE FUCK U DOIN'?
Brody Peterson
it's crazy that people would want to be the front runner for fighting things like racism and gay rights and go to such a level that they would organize an attack against themselves. i expected this from the start.
It's like how feminists have rape fetishes. People like Jussie wish they were abused in some sort of hate crime. Because they get off on being victims.
Jason Collins
Nobody that I know in real life believed a single word Smollett said from day one. And judging by the internet and television it appears that very few people believed him either.
His story was extremely far-fetched and contrived from the very beginning and his behavior and passion was very histrionic and simply didn't ring true.
James Stewart
What's even crazier is that you still haven't figured out that video games are the single biggest factor behind your personal and social failures, not to mention the epic sexual ones.
Brandon Bailey
If you were capable of the prospective required to see yourself the way others see you, and look at the image from a video game you just posted to emphasize your point, you'd realize how infantile anything you say suddenly appears.
Evan Myers
Thanks for the excuse to exercise the hide function. Better a "failure" than some faggot who needs a paper-thin lie to justify his own self-hatred.
lol @ you being oblivious to the fact that this nelly faggot was being written off his television show, his future career was cloudy, and he was about to release an (awful) musical album called SUM OF MY MUSIC, and he hatched this idiotic plan to garner sympathy and keep his name in the public eye.
Ryan Myers
Yesterday my wife and I celebrated our 5th anniversary.
What level have you reached in OverWatch?
Blake White
a victim of a hate crime? fuck that will get a slide even if the artists material sucks. if this turns out he did organise the attack this will backfire on him so fucking bad.
Aaron Jenkins
What a faggot nigger lying to the police? I mean the only way he could be more trustworthy is if he were a jew too.
Justin Jackson
This fucker was hanging out with Al Sharpton and they even asked the fucking president to weigh in. This was a power grab through victimhood, something we keep seeing SJWs like him pull
Nathaniel Davis
Martin Luther King would be spinning in his grave right now. awful behavior.
Wyatt Smith
MLK would be called a bigot and a race traitor if he was still around and preaching today. That Boondocks episode nailed it.
Ryan Gutierrez
HINT: I had never heard of the greasy cocksucking faggot nigger until he faked the attack. My wife and I both laughed at how contrived and histrionic his story was from the very beginninging. We never believed a single word of it at all
the fact that I know his faggot nigger career was about to stumble, and that he was about to release a faggot nigger album called SUM OF MY MUSIC doesn't mean I 'followed his lame career'… quite the opposite… I have NO interest in nigger television shows, or niggers in general
it's called THE INTERNET
it can be used for RESEARCH
try it one of these days
Caleb Bell
no wonder… now I understand your problem
Jackson Gomez
Stopped right there
Jaxon Reyes
The fuck is wrong with you?
Isaiah Morris
I'm convinced you actually stopped reading after the word 'wife', since you are obviously a video game playing effeminate, latently homosexual little child trapped in the body of an adult male.
Wyatt Martinez
What do video games have to do with calling out an SJW nigger for what it is? Why are you defending this guy?
Leo Adams
Did George Washington roll in his grave when Susan Smith drowned her two kids, and told the police she was abducted by two black men?
George Washington wasn't advocating for black and white equality and neither was Susan Smith. Meanwhile MLK did and Jussie was as well alongside people like Al Sharpton
Bentley Cox
The founders names are dishonored by association when you put them in your posts.
Benjamin Mitchell
lol @ you thinking that I'm 'defending' him
fuck him
I can't wait for him to go to prison over this
Andrew Cook
You are defending him. You wouldn't have responded if you weren't. Trying to pin it on some career bullshit instead of him being the SJW he is. You and your wife are fucking nigger lovers, bet she cucks your faggot ass.
Isaiah Sanders
AGAIN: FUCK JUSSIE SMOLLET
and fuck Al Sharpton…..
however, I'd be lying if Isaid that I didn't have a lot of respect for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Juan James
Fucking nigger lover
James Hall
...
Julian James
Dig that hole deeper. I bet your wife really loves black men doesn't she
Michael Phillips
TRY TO PAY ATTENTION THIS TIME:
I was NOT trying to 'defend his actions', or 'pin it on his career issues'….
Not at all……….
In fact, I was simply correcting the guy who said "It's like how feminists have rape fetishes. People like Jussie wish they were abused in some sort of hate crime. Because they get off on being victims."
he assumed this was a case of a faggot 'wishing' he was abused because 'he gets off on it'…
while it's actually a case of a histrionic failing actor trying to get publicity…….
Nolan Gonzalez
thank you for letting us know how much you enjoy sucking nigger cock to get it ready for your "wife" :^)
Isaac Lee
Except you are defending him. You wouldn't have responded at all. You admitted to looking up the lives of black men with your wife and respecting them. Absolutely disgusting
Jaxson Russell
by the way…. why don't you tell the other students what it's like to have ABSOLUTELY NO SEXUAL EXPERIENCE WITH FEMALES?
………………………………..enlighten us
Hudson Wood
Seems you're having a rough day
Liam Ross
Right after you tell us how you suck nigger cock for your wife to take right after
Oliver Price
just because jamel tore my asshole doesn't mean i'm having a rough day that happens EVERYDAY…
………………………………lol @ you for not services black cock like a faggot
Nathaniel Rodriguez
SPEAKING OF HOW VIDEOGAMES TURNED YOU GUYS INTO LATENT HOMOSEXUALS:
I have an interesting 100% true story about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that nobody on this planet but ME can tell.
but I'm not in the mood to tell the story right now
…………. you're probably wondering what MLK has to do with your idiotic decisions to become videogame playing faggots when you were young, and how that was the main reason why you became sexless, lonely latently homosexual adults……………………
Asher Reyes
you have a lot of stories about how much nigger cock you've sucked don't you?
Easton Williams
lol @ your lack of sexuality
unless you consider watching porn and being overwhelmed with anger and resentment a form of 'sexuality'………………
How's that new video game working out?
Alexander Hernandez
hint: the idea is to try to NOT make it so obvious that you fixate on niggers' penises………………….
Liam Young
so why don't you tell us about the first time you realized how much you enjoy nigger cock?
Matthew Hall
It doesn't take Sigmund Freud to recognize what an empty vessel you truly are………….
and why is it taking you so long to tell me about that newest video game? How are things working out for you? What level are you on now?
Sebastian Howard
Why are you even talking about video games? You started talking about how you and your wife look up the lives of niggers, please enlighten us why you are bringing up video games.
Luis Johnson
You should seriously consider finding a really hot woman, walking up to her, and asking her to come over to visit you in your little sebum-stench box, and watch you sit on your sedentary fat ass and play your little sissy-assed VIDEO GAMES……………..
Eli Reed
Did you learn that term from the nigger whose cock you sucked? And again with the video games, what even are you bringing up video games for? It's more likely you're here typing up shit while jamal fucks your wife than I'm playing video games considering we're both typing here
Lincoln Lee
so you discovered your love of cock young? that's pretty sad actually. did you get molested by an old man or were you just born a faggot?
Anthony Robinson
I know that you are much more like your mother then you are like your father, and I'm not the first person to mention how effeminate you are…………………………….
in fact, you think and behave very much like a woman, so this shouldn't be very hard for you:
IMAGINE BEING AN ADULT FEMALE NOW, imagine meeting a guy just like you and taking a glimpse into his life, watching him play his childish sissyboy videogames, watching him get into his gay as shit anime, watching him sit on his sedentary ass, being enveloped in his mind-numbing loneliness and his refusal (or inability) to behave like a man, patting himself on his fat hunched back, trying to convince himself that he is somehow 'superior'………………………………
and NOW you know why no woman will be seen standing next to you
Cooper Powell
Is that what you do when sucking cock? Tell us more
Connor Young
WHY NO WOMAN WILL HAVE SEX WITH YOU:
it's really not complicated………
you've got eyes……. and you've got a mirror……
USE THEM
Logan Kelly
Super Mario, right?
Jason Kelly
Ms PacMan ?
Nicholas Davis
we already know you've never had sex with a woman you don't need to tell us. or are you telling us you have no interest in women? because we already know that too
Ryder Young
Zelda ?
Ethan Green
Fortnite?
Joseph Green
Overwatch?
Jaxon Moore
is that how long it's been since you've even talked to a woman?
Xavier Young
lemme guess:
Pokemon GO?
Caleb Garcia
how long do you intend on remaining a child?
Levi Sanders
is that what the old man that raped you asked when you lost your virginity?
Zachary Price
what did we learn today?
we learned that you're a sexual failure
Oliver Cox
Nintendo ?
Xbox ?
PlayStation?
Thomas Sullivan
you must really love video games are they how you try and forget how much you ended up liking that old man raping your asshole?
Of course the idiots used traceable methods of purchase.
@CharlieDeMar 2 minutes ago NEW: Sources say at least one of the brothers purchased the rope used in Jussie Smollett incident at Crafty Beaver hardware store the weekend of Jan 25th. Plain red hats worn by brothers were purchased from an Uptown beauty supply store. @cbschicago cbsloc.al/2SJo6mP
I knew this was fake the moment this guy claimed someone recognized him in public. I’ve heard of the show but not him. My question is, why would Trump supporters know of him? They certainly don’t watch the show.
This guy is an educated airhead
Now People know of him now but it’s not in a good way. He’s right up there with the white woman who identifies as black, up there with those journalists who fake stories, and with the Olympic swimmer who faked getting robbed in Rio.
He's in The hall of faker shame.
Logan Allen
keep feeding the troll. this is hilarious. imagine being this egotistical and opinionated or people you never met before. what a fucking nut. muh video games.
Jacob James
...
Adrian Perry
(you)
Eli Cox
because the false report was categorized as a possible 'hate crime', it had entered the arena of a 'federal offense'…..
and THAT'S how they got the electronic communications, locations, & Uber rides from the NSA
the majority of the evidence wasn't collected by the local Chicago Police Department
this technique is used quite frequently and the local law enforcement agencies use PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION to make it appear that they gathered the evidence through conventional investigative channels
Adam Davis
if you think anybody's stupid enough to believe that you're not a videogame faggot, you are fooling yourself……….
as if you're the first 'duck who doesn't quack'
Jackson Reyes
Surprising literally no one with more then one functioning brain cell.
Chase Peterson
I knew it was fake when he said they had a noose. Who the fuck has a noose?
He hired Cohen's lawyer He's gonna need him The filling a false police report charge they'll probably offer him a conditional discharge if he just pleads guilty and stays out of trouble. His much bigger worry is the fake anthrax letter that was sent to Empire studios two weeks before this happened. Kind of a huge coincidence if he didnt do that to. The FBI is in charge of that investigation and even a hoax mail attack like that means extremely serious charges.
David Barnes
Do you glow, or are you in a law related field?
Or do you do like I do, and just copy/paste from smarter people AND THEIR comments?
Jaxson Wilson
i got news bro, nobody knows who the fuck i am here. if video games make people gay maybe you should be bitching at the people who make them and not random people on the internet because when you do you look like a stark raving lunatic.
I realize you were diagnosed with a childhood 'leaning disability', but….
CAN YOU DO SIMPLE MATH ?
if I accused a nigger of having liking rap music there's a 97% chance that I'm correct
if I accused a Chicano of eating jalapenos there's a 94% chance that I'm right
and when I accuse a sexless imageboard loser of being a latently homo videogame faggot…. im 100% on the money, faggot
Thomas Evans
oh, and your childhood diagnosis was wrong
apparently, it's a learning INABILITY
Nolan King
why post? need to feel strong and powerful? lol
Gavin Moore
you're a fucking idiot, lil' guy
Hunter Hall
speaking of brain cells, or lack thereof:
THAN* not 'then'
Justin Rogers
Yeah, maybe a few people here might want to re-examine themselves for instantly believing one of the more racist police departments in the US over a person of colour.
I'd start looking through her phone. After 5 years, she is definately sick of you and absolutely sleeping with other men.
Gavin Diaz
Back to reddit fag.
Benjamin Gomez
Now do you think he thought this "plan" up all by himself or did his kike handlers convince him it was a good idea?
Austin Sanchez
you bring up an interesting notion. i wonder how many people are going to go down for this b.s.
Jonathan Rivera
congratulations on the "not knowing how to spell the word 'definitely' correctly" accomplishment
Jacob Sullivan
Q: were you born illiterate, or did you have to go to school to learn that ?
Adrian Morgan
A: just one
the two 'attackers' committed no crimes they never reported the fake attack
Xavier Butler
If you think it took some 'clever mastermind conspiracy' to file a false police report in the name of trying to get publicity, then you don't have much of a grasp on reality.
I think it's a stretch to even call it a 'plan'.
Jacob Ortiz
I find it a little bit less than coincidental that you are illiterate, a social reject, AND a sexual failure.
And you actually have the audacity to wonder why nobody gravitates to you for any reason?
