Chicago mayor
urges Trump to 'sit on the sidelines' in the Smollett case
By Barnini Chakraborty | Fox News
CHICAGO – Mayor Rahm Emanuel on
Thursday emphatically urged President Trump to butt out of the ongoing drama
over embattled "Empire"
actor Jussie
Smollett.
“My recommendation is the president go to Opening Day
baseball, sit on the sidelines and stay out of this," Emanuel told a group
of reporters.
The mayor then called Chicago a "Trump-free
zone" and blamed the president for creating a "toxic" and
"hate-filled" environment that allowed Smollett to think he could get
away with faking a hate crime.
Emanuel is a frequent critic of the president, who said
this week he'd have federal authorities look into the tangled Smollett case.
The mayor said Trump and Smollett are part of the same "vicious,
toxic cycle," a cycle he wants to break.
The exiting mayor also suggested that Smollett write
a $130,000 check to Chicago with "I'm accountable for the hoax"
written on the memo line.
Smollett was accused of faking an anti-black, anti-gay
hate crime against himself in order to drum up publicity for his role on a Fox
television show. Denying the claims of fraud, he maintained that on Jan. 29,
two men beat him, poured bleach on him and placed a rope around his neck before
yelling, "This is MAGA country" (a blunt reference to Trump's
campaign slogan "Make American Great Again").
A week before the alleged attack, Smollett told
authorities he received a threatening letter at work. Chicago police believe he
made that up, too.
The Smollett saga gained new energy this week when
prosecutors unexpectedly announced they would drop the 16-count indictment
against the actor.
CHICAGO
PROSECUTOR KIM FOXX CHIDED BY NATIONAL ATTORNEYS GROUP AFTER JUSSIE SMOLLETT
CHARGES DROPPED
The surprise dismissal triggered a swift backlash from
the mayor and police chief, with many observers asking the same question: Why
isn't Smollett being forced to admit what prosecutors had said they could prove
in court — that the entire assault story was a concocted publicity stunt?
Trump, wading into the Smollett saga, said he'd asked
federal law enforcement officials to look into Smollett's case.
“I think the case in Chicago is an absolute embarrassment
to our country, and I have asked that they look at it,” Trump told reporters on
the White House lawn. Earlier Thursday, he tweeted that he wanted federal
authorities to investigate.
There has been no word from the FBI or the Justice
Department on whether they're investigating the matter.
After the city delivered a letter to Smollett's
legal team seeking $130,000 from the actor, Smollett's
lawyers demanded an apology from Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent
Eddie Johnson for "dragging an innocent man's character through the
mud."
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx's has defended her
office's actions but said dropping the charges "in no way
exonerates" Smollett.
Rahm Emanuel on the Opportunities of Crisis
Thursday, March 28, 2019
