After all charges were dropped against Empire star Jussie Smollett, President Trump on Thursday morning tweeted that the FBI and Department of Justice will conduct a review of the "outrageous" case:
Smollett claimed he was the victim of a hate crime in Chicago in January, alleging two men attacked him, tying a noose around his neck and screaming, "This is MAGA country!" After the initial reports, Trump weighed in by saying it "doesn't get any worse" than this. Police subsequently said Smollett actually staged the attack himself, and he was hit with 16 felony counts while continuing to maintain his innocence.
But on Tuesday, all charges against the actor were unexpectedly dropped, although one of the prosecutors involved said this does not exonerate Smollett or mean he "is innocent." Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police have blasted prosecutors for dropping the charges, while Smollet's attorney has argued the charges never would have been dropped if prosecutors really thought he was guilty.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Prior to Trump's tweet, ABC 7 Chicago reporter Rob Elgas had reported that the FBI was reviewing the dismissal of charges against Smollett, although he stressed that the review is "not an investigation."
-
Groypers: the alt-right group pulled into the foregroundThe Explainer The network is led by alt-right activist Nick Fuentes
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fallThe Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
How to put student loan payments on pauseThe Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
