Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday Jussie Smollett should pay for the department’s hate crime probe following county prosecutors’ sudden decision to drop charges against the “Empire” actor accused of faking the attack.
“Our officers did a great job. They took a crime that was called a hate crime for sexual orientation and for race. They took it seriously. They dedicated their resources to deal with it, to find out who perpetrated it, and we found out that the person calling the police was the perpetrator,” the Illinois Democrat said to WGN America.
Mr. Emanuel said the Chicago Police Department is determining how much money was spent to investigate the alleged hoax and will then send the bill to Mr. Smollett so he can “recoup those costs for the city.”
The actor’s legal representation said in a statement that Mr. Smollett is owed an apology from the city for “dragging an innocent man’s character through the mud,” and “Jussie has paid enough.”
Mr. Emanuel also said President Trump is partially to blame for this incident after the president tweeted, “FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment to our Nation.”
“The only reason Jussie Smollett thought he could take advantage of a hoax about a hate crime is [because of] the toxic environment that Donald Trump created,” the mayor said, adding Mr. Trump creates a “moral equivalency between people who are trying to perpetuate bigotry and those who are trying to fight bigotry.”
Mr. Emanuel and Chicago police have vocalized their disdain for the prosecutors’ decision Tuesday to expunged all charges against Mr. Smollett for allegedly faking his own hate crime to help his career, an accusation which he has denied.
The mayor said during a press conference that the deal was “a whitewash of justice.”
“It’s Mr. Smollett who committed this hoax. He’s still saying he’s innocent, still running down the Chicago Police Department. How dare he. How dare he,” he said Tuesday.
Illinois state Rep. Michael McAuliffe also voiced his disdain for Mr. Smollett, saying Thursday he will submit legislation that would eliminate tax credits for TV or film production companies hiring Jussie Smollett in Chicago.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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