The internet is up in arms about Jussie Smollett’s charges being dismissed!
As we reported, Chicago prosecutors dropped all charges against the Empire star on Tuesday, weeks after he was indicted on 16 felony counts for allegedly filing a false police report. Chicago police were said to be “furious” about the anti-climactic resolution, which they are reportedly blaming on the Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
According to reports, Foxx thought there was no point in prosecuting the actor over the alleged hoax “because Jussie would have only gotten community service if convicted.” State police are so pissed about it, the Chicago Police Union is calling for a federal investigation into Foxx’s actions.
But cops aren’t the only ones furious about this shocking turn of events — The People are, too!
Related: Lee Daniels On The ‘Empire’ Cast’s ‘Anger’ Amid Jussie Scandal
Twitter chimed in on the matter after the news broke, with many outraged that Smollett’s record was wiped clean despite police having “lots” of evidence that he orchestrated the alleged hate crime in January on himself because he was dissatisfied with his salary on the FOX drama.
See some of the many heated reactions (below).
One user summed it up perfectly:
Same, gurl.
But the Twitics were just getting started! Many got political:
Some claimed that, even in Jussie’s post-hearing press conference, the facts didn’t add up — particularly, regarding the Nigerian brothers who claimed to have been paid by the actor to stage the attack on him:
Like we said… the People are pissed!
Jussie, for his part, has maintained his innocence throughout the entire case, claiming that the attack did occur and that he was a victim of a hate crime.
The 36-year-old was seen arriving at a Chicago courtroom at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday for an emergency hearing. Soon after, his attorneys confirmed in a statement that the actor’s “record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him.”
The statement read:
“Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement… Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result.”
Sounds like that’s the minority opinion, based on what everyone else is saying.
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[Image via Derrick Salters/WENN]