Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Jussie Smollett Anonymous Author Identification



Anonymous Author Identification is an inexact form of Statement Analysis. With deception detection, the expectation is at or near 100% accuracy. Once trained, this can become routine for analysts, which can lead to complacency. 

In identifying the author of an anonymous letter, if 70% accuracy of the four dominant themes is realized, it is likely that the recipient of the threat will know the identity.  In this, team analysis is essential, particularly employing male and female analysts to work together. 

Threat Assessment Analysis 

We view the linguistic strength of a threat. Qualifications, delays, and weak commitment are to reveal an alternate motive. 


Sex in Anonymous Threatening Letters 

The anonymous threatening letter has a correlation with same sex attraction. This may be due to the psychological need to "come out" for male authors. 

For female authors, which are less frequent and with reduced or non threat status, we often find betrayal, infidelity or sexual abuse, where the author has a need to be heard. 

With whistle blower style letters (threatening to expose), if the letter is deemed "reliable" (genuine), there is no connection to sex. 

We seek four elements:

The author's (1) background, (2) personal and professional experiences, the author's (3) motive (priorities) and the author's (4) dominant personality traits. These four elements are within all of our communication, though the larger the sample, the more we know. 

Jussie Smollett reported being attacked by "MAGA" (Donald Trump slogan) males who used racially charged and homophobic slurs, while assaulting him with a chemical and a noose. 

Many doubted his account. I wrote of these doubts, but prior to his statement, I could only state that his manager does not believe this to be true. Why? Because his manager spoke.  

I do not conclude deception with implausible circumstances. Weirder things have happened in life. 

The idea that 2 MAGA white males would recognize an actor I had never heard of, knew his show, (which I had never heard of), and happened to be in a sub zero freezing Chicago night at a Subway, waiting with bleach and a noose, is implausible.  Yet, strange things happen in life and I trust the science of Statement Analysis to guide me to the truth.  Smollett had not yet spoken, so I did not "know" what happened.  

When he spoke, the truth came out. 

A few days after Smollett received the above threatening letter, he was alleged to be attacked. 

He spoke on Good Morning America and from this, I posted "deception indicated."

He did not connect himself to an assault, and he did not connect himself to the truth. 

He offered "if I told the truth", guiding us to question him. If he cannot say, "they attacked me; I told the truth", I am not going to say it for him. 

What do you notice about the letter?

Consider: 

"You will die" is truthful.  We all will die and one day, the recipient will die. 

Threats contain threats. The author does not say "I will kill you" (strong) or even who will kill the recipient or how he will die. Intimation is not a strong threat. Those who intend to cause harm state is plainly. Those who wish to frighten but without intention of carrying out the threat will heavily qualify and reduce priority. 


"If you want to live, you should..." (advice).

Recall the "threat" to the black family of Lindenhurst in which the author said she knew it was not convenient for the family to move, but they needed to. The author actually held the family's best interest in mind and was not a racist.  (the author was living in the home; a family member). 

Consider that the anonymous threatening letter does not articulate a threat.

What do you make of the crayon coloring style?

This is a form of psychological comfort after using "black fag" in cut out letters. 

The author wishes to bring a form of comfort, such as in a children's writing, of which it will be difficult to take seriously.  

The noose is around the neck of one who looks sad. 

The author of the letter has empathy for the recipient. The author (s) will not terrorize the recipient, but make him "sad" for calling him a "black fag."

In this strange sense, the author feels sorry (empathy) for the recipient. This is called 

"Linguistic Disposition." 

We know how the author feels about the recipient:  he likes him. He has a "Positive (+) Linguistic Disposition (LD) towards the recipient. 

He is either Jussie Smollett or one who Jussie Smollett hired to do so, and who personally knows Smollett (the brothers) and has a good relationship with him. 

Analysis Conclusion:  Deception Indicated

The letter does not threaten the recipient. 
The author of the letter likes the recipient. 

Jussie Smollett knows the identity of the author. 

Jussie Smollett either authored the letter or he directed it by someone who had, at the time of its construction, a favorable relationship with Smollett. 

Jussie Smollett may face federal charges as well as local. 

Behavioral Analysis:

The noose is key. It is an instrument of asphyxiation. It is human nature's normal reflex to tear it immediately off the body. 

Smollett left it on. 

Smollett linguistically referenced it in the Good Morning America interview, without language of fear or more importantly, disgust. 

Smollett used sexually charged language in the interview.  The Good Morning America interviewer should also be considered for deception, in that she knew he was deceptive, but provided the cover that Smollett expected, for his fraud. 

There is also an indicator within the language that should warrant further exploration: 

illegal activity on his phone. 

At one point, Smollett began his sentence with, 

"I want a young gay boy..." regarding fear.

In an interview, it is natural to parrot; it is the expected. It requires less brain processing which allows for the Interviewer to focus more energy upon a point. 

When there is a point of parroting where the Interviewer (or even the subject) changes the language, we know that there is an addition effort for processing necessary. There is a change of perceived reality. 

The interviewer parroted and interrupted her parrot with a change of language in her follow up:

"you want a gay man to..." changing "boy" to "man."

It is very likely that this interviewer knew he was deceptive and there is something alarming that she did not want to raise. 

She entered into his deception as the narrative was consistent with the anti-Trump media. 

"I'm sorry" enters the language of the polite and it enters the language of the guilty. We look to see:

"What is the context of the statement?"

When Casey Anthony was put on the phone with police (911) by her mother, Casey used "I'm sorry?" as a pause, indicating a need to think of what to say next.  The context of a missing child call to police is not where politeness is the expected. 

Assault

An assault is "personal" in that it happened to the person, intruding upon his personal space of safety and survival.  The language should reflect this. When a woman is sexually assaulted, even when traumatized, she connects herself to the assault. It is how we discern truth from deception. 

Context: 2 Men who are racist homophobic murderers, looking to lynch a gay black male, are on the loose. They know who he is and they found him once, they can find him again. They represent a great risk to society and are free to fulfill their plans. They were willing to do this in the freezing cold and in the middle of the night. They are serious sociopathic types of whom Smollett should be scared out of his mind of, for himself and for the public. 

When asked about his phone, he referenced his refusal to hand it over with the words, "I'm sorry" while speaking of "photos" as one of the reasons for not handing over the phone. It took weeks before he was ready to hand it over. 

Consider this in the many sexually charged expressions that he used in the short interview.  Sex is in his words because sex is in this event. 

Police should seek to learn if child pornography or another illegal activity (drugs, fraud, etc) is evidenced in the deletions.  

The initial reports showed the language alleged to come from the perpetrators is similar to the language of Jussie Smollett tweets in his attacks on President Trump.

His "love" (a constant theme in his language) is projective guilt which, as "unnecessary information" tells us to the contrary. Media, politicians, and Hollywood sermonized with unnecessary moralizing to condemn anyone who did not agree. Even in "mea culpa", we find continued unnecessary informant. One actress tweeted "it is wrong" as if anyone thought to the contrary. She also used vulgarity to show the personal impact upon her; the narcissism linguistically pronounced in a short venue of a "tweet."

2 white males could have been falsely arrested. 
Racial conditions could have exploded. 
Genuine victims will fear cynical disbelief, which furthers injustice. 

Jussie Smollett's "love" is to divide and destroy, yet to bring him the attention he craves. The lack of threat reveals the motive is not to terrorize the recipient, who is "sad" according to the childish drawing. The author needs attention and he needs it to make him no longer "sad."

I would not be surprised to see a continuation of his manipulation within the upcoming weeks where justice is sought in this case. He is a skilled deceptive manipulator with some acute unresolved psychological issues. This could include various attempts to employ deception tangent (its Trump's fault), contempt for blacks, Muslims and homosexuals (used in the interview), mental health issues and possibly suicidal ideation that is either verbalized to willing media, or put out by his publicists. 

For training for law enforcement, military, intelligence and the private sector, please visit Hyatt Analysis Services






44 comments:

Martina said...

An anonymous letter with cut-out letters? This happens only in movies. Colorful letters from a glossy magazin?

Regarding the drawing: I can't make out what the thing on the right hand side is supposed to be, a tree? Then there's the gun, it looks more like a glue gun (I do crafts) than a real gun, maybe the sender used it to glue the letters?

The whole appearance is of a childish prank, a 10 year old having a little bit of fun. A threat it is not, if one includes child-like drawings when threatening (or not threatening) death.

It is a low-intelligence act, not to be taken seriously.

GeekRad said...

According to Jusse in his interview the image is a tree from which he is hanging. Me immediate thought when he said that was either he drew it or instructed someone to draw it. I couldn't tell what it was and found it odd he could. That said, maybe I would have figured it out if I looked at it longer.

GeekRad said...

Now that I look at it longer, and know it is supposed to be tree I don't see a tree.

Habundia said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QHmCS6yJuU

Transcript:
911 Call Mother of missing woman

Dispatch: Calumet County Sheriff’s Department?

Karen: Hi, I’d like to report a missing person.

Dispatch: Ok, and how long have they been missing?

Karen: Uhm, nobody has heard from her since Monday

Dispatch: Ok. Hang on for one second please here… ma’am where does the person live?

Karen: Uhm, she’s our daughter. She lives next door to us. It’s (taken out)

Dispatch: That’s her address (Karen: right)……….and her name?

Karen: Teresa Halbach

Dispatch: Ok…and your name?

Karen: Karen Halbach (Dispatcher: Taryn?)

Karen: (Dispatcher: T-E-R?) K-A-R

Dispatch:Oh Karen…I’m sorry.

Karen: That’s alright.

Dispatch: Ok and what relationship she is to you?

Karen: My daughter.

Dispatch: Ok and how old?

Karen: She’s 25

Dispatch: Ok…do you know where she was last seen?

Karen: She works for Auto Trader. They had gotten a fax from her from…on Monday at 10:31. The..they had faxed her today but they don’t know if she did got it or not. They haven’t heard from her. And we haven’t talked to her since Sunday. She was over here.

Dispatch: Ok, she works for Auto Trader…

Karen: And she also works for…for herself. She’s self-employed.

Dispatch: She married or anything?

Karen: No.

Dispatch: Just lives alone?

Karen: No, she has a roommate. He hasn’t heard from her since Monday either.

Habundia said...

cont.

Dispatch. Hmm. His name?

Karen: Scott Bloedern.

Dispatch Do you know how to spell that?

Karen: B-L-O-E-D-O-R-N

Dispatch: Ok. What is Teresa’s middle name?

Karen: Marie

Dispatch: And her date of birth?

Karen: uh 3-22-80

Dispatch: Ok. Your address?

Karen: (taken out)

Dispatch: And you said…..(taken out)

Karen: Right.

Dispatch: (whispering): …..and your phone number?

Karen: (phone number is given)

Dispatch (confirms phone number)

Karen: Right.

Dispatch: Ok. Do you know what she- you said Auto Trader got a fax from her 10.35…31am?

Karen: Right…I think….it coulda been PM. They didn’t say. I had called Auto Trader too. I think it was Monday morning.

Dispatch: Have you talked to Scott?

Karen: Uh my husband did. He said he hasn’t seen her since Monday. He was getting worried too.

Dispatch: Where would be the last place that we would have seen her on Monday?

Karen: At home, I guess. He saw her at home.

Dispatch: Does he have any idea remember what she was wearing?

Karen: Uh he didn’t ask for that.

Dispatch: Ok. What’s Scott’s phone number?

Karen: He’s at work…but I can give you the home phone, it’s (number is given)

Dispatch: (confirms last four digits)2911 (Karen: Ok) and he does live at (address is said)

Karen: Right. He works for Jack Diedrich Construction.

Dispatch: Jack Diedrich?

Karen: Right.

Dispatch: Ok. Does she have any medical conditions or anything…that would..anybody would have any idea why she may not have returned home? Did they have an argument or anything?

Karen: Ah we don’t know. I don’t…she doesn’t have any medical conditions that we know of.

Dispatch: When does he get home from work?

Karen: (turns away from phone, difficult to hear): ah did he say when he got home from work?

Dispatch: Ok. They’ll wanna go over there and talk to him to see him once…you know if they had an argument or anything, that she maybe took off, (Karen: Uh they’re not) because she wanted to…?

Karen: They’re not boyfriend-girlfriend or anything.

Dispatch: Oh they’re not?

Karen: No they’re not.

Dispatch: Ok and the last she was seen was at home, do you know what she drives?

Karen: She drives a Rav4 Toyota. It’s a dark green color, kinda.

Dispatch: Did you say red or dark green?

Karen: Dark green.

Dispatch: Ford Toyota?

Karen: Uh it’s uh It’s a Rav4

Dispatch: Oh a Rav, I thought you said red. Ok. Dark green Rav…never heard of that. Rav..hmm Ford Toyota Dark green. You have any idea what the plate number might be?

Karen: No

Dispatch: Nah, I didn’t think so. Ok. It would be – do you know if it’s listed to her or if there’s any…?

Karen: It is

Dispatch: It is? Ok. Does she have any tattoos or anything?
Karen: No, not that I know of.

Dispatch: Ok, uhm…we’ll have to have somebody come over. See much what we can do.

Karen: Sure

Habundia said...

cont.

Dispatch: Uhm get as much information for us as you can. Do you know of any piercings? Ears pierced or anything like that?

Karen: Uhm. I think her belly button is pierced…and her ears, I think.

Dispatch: Ok. Pierced belly button and ears. Ok. Well, our officers are all out at an accident right now. I will have – Are you gonna be home all night?

Karen: Yes

Dispatch: I will have somebody stop on over to see if we can receive a little more information

Karen: Ok

Dispatch:…uhm ….do you know her blood type?

Karen: No

Dispatch: No, ok, uhm see once what we can do, and get an officer over by you.

Karen: Ok

Dispatch: Alright?

Karen: Thanks

Dispatch: Sure, goodbye.

Phoenix1966 said...

I also didn't see a tree when I first saw the letter. I thought it was a monstrous person with wild hair who had the smaller figure on a leash. Like GeekRad, I still don't really see a tree even knowing what it is "supposed" to be.

Phoenix1966 said...

And I would add that the small, childish figure appears to be frowning. I would expect, given the "sophistication" of the art, for the small figure to have its tongue sticking out and eyes that looked like the letter X if it was supposed to be dead.

Phoenix1966 said...

And then there is the whole overkill of the letter itself. The recipient is threatened with the image of a hanging in a letter that contained a substance meant to make people think it might have been anthrax.

Tania Cadogan said...

Trees do not have 2 arms and 2 legs.
They do not have 2 branches and 2 trunks.
It is not branches and leaves depicted it is hair.
The hair is growing out a head not out of a trunk.

I would not and did not recognize it as a tree i recognized it as a person.
Any childwho could spell correctly is of an age to be able to draw a gun way better than the one allegedly drawn in the picture, if anything it looks like a drill or a thumb holding something such as a pencil (perhaps the 2 grey lines on the picture)
This is the drawing of a young child with the words added on after by an adult, jussie himself or someone known to him, the 2 black men known to him perhaps.

I would be interested to know who has children or access to a young boy.
I also wonder if the words on the envelope were pre written in pencil lightly and the child wrote over the words before they were erased as even though the address is blurred, there are dark lines under the red writing.
Even if an adult tried to write like a child, it would still show as adult as it would be tidier, perhaps even writing with the non dominant line would still be tidier written.

Anonymous said...

I also thought it was a person (or monster) holding a smaller person like by a leash or rope or something. I wouldn't have guessed a tree. And it looks like the writing on the envelope was done by someone writing with the opposite of their dominant hand and the letters were written wrong on purpose, not as a child would. My youngest daughter (10, with speech apraxia) often writes letters backwards or upside down but its always consistent. I'm not surprised nobody took this seriously (studio or police or whoever) as its obviously a farce.

GeekRad said...

Elf and Pheonix, I thought it was a montru person too. For him to identify it as a hanging tree, he has knowledge

Geekrad said...

Tania, I agree. I am on my small device, eyes glazed over trying to read.
Geekrad

GeekRad said...

We will see, won't we. Peter needs to get on this. So many statements.

Anonymous said...

"Kim Foxx, the state’s attorney has recused herself form this case. She is known for supporting Kamala Harris and is a registered Democrat." See a.o. here and here. Harris was co-chair of Foxx's transition team. There are rumors that Harris is involved in this hoax. First word she said when asked about it was "sorry".

Jussie and some of his family members have had Democratic friends/acquaintances in very high places for years. I hope this case will not be swept under the rug once public attention fades.

Such a good point about the figure in the drawing looking sad -> the author has empathy for Jussie.

Like other commenters, I did not see a tree when I first saw the drawing.

He did not say "young", he said "little": "I want a little gay boy (...)", etc.

Autumn

Martina said...

I want a little gay boy..
This is concerning, but I confess to being uninformed. At what age does one realize one's sexual orientation? Puberty, or before puberty?
In any case, if the intention is to protect other gay people from harm or harassment, would it not be more appropriate to refer to them as "young gay men"?
Boy seems inappropriate because of the implied age, or maybe the implied racial connotation.

Anonymous said...

Oh, but the "little gay boy" could be inspired by that Smollet just days before he told the police he was attacked by Trump-loving racist homophobes in sub-zero Chicago at 2 a.m., he was accepting the “famous red tie at MLK Scholarship Breakfast” as one of 5,000 role models kids can look up to; Smollett proudly retweeted pictures from his induction into the “5,000 Role Models” mentor program alongside other dignitaries including fellow actor Danny Glover.

An honor. Thank you for all you do @5000RoleModels ����✊�� https://t.co/m4Jdaf7K9l

— Jussie Smollett (@JussieSmollett) January 27, 2019

It speaks to his character, that he during the tweet must have been fully aware of his hoax. Maybe that's why he the same day tweeted:

Frauds are everywhere y’all. Protect the mind, heart and spirit of you and your people at all costs. Just remember… Salt, cocaine and anthrax can all appear to be sugar…(the “refined” kind of course) just be careful out here fam. Happy Sunday. Love you. Real talk. Love on.

— Jussie Smollett (@JussieSmollett) January 27, 2019

Wasn't there some white powder in the threat letter?

Anonymous said...

PS! And what does he say with "...just be careful out HERE...".

Anonymous said...

Martina, I also wondered what age-range people are usually talking about when they say "little" boy/girl. I would say 0-12 years? He chokes up when he says it, so I thought he might be referring to himself as a little boy. But Peter flagged it and, as he mentions, the interviewer certainly noticed it and stopped "parroting" him (changing "little" into "young" and "boy" into "man"/"person").

Jussie said something similar when the interviewer asked what message he wanted to send: "I just want young people, young members of the LGTBQ community, young black children, to know how strong they are, to know the power that they hold in their little pinky."

Another thing is Jussie constantly emphasizing that he is gay ("I'm the gay Tupac", etc.). To the point where I thought: is he even gay at all? That didn’t make sense though: why would he say so if he’s not?

Autumn

Anonymous said...

off topic,
Meghan McCain caught McCabe at lying over being the leaker.
His evasion to her questions was classic !

Anonymous said...

State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has recused herself from the case because she knows possible witnesses (see here). A spokeswoman for Ms. Foxx’s office told the ABC affiliate via email:

“Out of an abundance of caution, the decision to recuse herself was made to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case.”

Autumn

John Mc Gowan said...

Empire' Actor Jussie Smollett Pleaded Guilty to DUI, Providing False Information to Law Enforcement in 2007
Smollett, now 36, was sentenced to two years probation and a choice of a fine or jail in the 2007 case, an LA City Attorney's spokesman told NBC News.



https://www.nbcchicago.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/Jussie-Smollett-2007-DUI-arrest-506058301.html

John Mc Gowan said...

Snipped:

BUSTED: Jussie Smollett Wrote The Racist Letter That Led To The Alleged Fake Hate Crime Against Him

And now, we’re hearing that this likely hoax was perpetrated because a racist letter sent to Smollett was not given enough media attention. Yep, some letter with a white powder, later determined to be aspirin, was sent to Smollett days before this non-hate crime was committed. With these new developments, Chicago Police no longer consider Smollett a victim. They want a new interview with him as well. To put a cherry on top of this, Smollett was involved in writing the racist letter sent to him (via CBS Chicago):

The two brothers involved in the Jussie Smollett attack told police that Smollett was behind creating a racist letter that was sent to the actor on the set of his show, “Empire,” according to two sources with first-hand knowledge of the investigation.

And when that letter did not get a “bigger reaction,” Smollett orchestrated the attack a week later with the two men–Ola and Abel Osundairo, sources said. Also Tuesday, sources said the two brothers were seen on a ride share video camera before being dropped off near the location of the attack.

Smollett received a letter containing a white powder Jan. 22. The letter was mailed to Chicago’s Cinespace Studios, where the show “Empire” is filmed. The letter prompted a HAZMAT response. CPD says the “white substance” was later determined to be aspirin.

The note was crafted with letters apparently cut out from magazines to form words. The pieced-together message contained racial and homophobic threats directed at Smollett. A magazine is one of the pieces of evidence retrieved from the brother’s home last week during a search conducted by CPD. Investigators also recovered a book of stamps.

[…]

Sources say at least one of the brothers bought the rope used in the incident at Smollett’s request. The sources also say the “Empire” actor paid for the rope, which was purchased at the Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in the Ravenswood neighborhood the weekend of Jan. 25.

[…]

The sources say the red hat was bought at an Uptown beauty supply store and that the attack was supposed to happen before Jan. 29. The brothers told detectives the three men rehearsed the attack days prior to it happening. Smollett paid the brothers $3,500.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2019/02/20/busted-jussie-smollett-wrote-the-racist-letter-that-led-to-the-alleged-fake-hate-n2541897?utm_content=buffer3dc47&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR0EBWSpDMPTKxFileSwn8ybHyLUYIKgUAkjIujM-RcKE-cgAQWQRadJhCU

Phoenix1966 said...

Jussie's attorneys, Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson, released the following statement: "Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked."

Since they cannot bring themselves to say their client is innocent, we can't do it for them.

Phoenix1966 said...

And this case reminded me of Rachel Dolezal and all the hate crimes she reported.

November 2009: employees at the Human Rights Education Institute reported finding a swastika stuck to the side of the building. Police interviewed Dolezal and dusting for fingerprints, but found no match. Security cameras which operated at the facility did not record what happened and the case was closed.

April 2010: Dolezal reported someone left a vulgar and threatening phone message, saying she favored the dark-skinned students in her class over the light-skinned students. Police determined it was a one-time call and they didn't have evidence to prosecute.

June 2010: Dolezal reported finding what she believed was a rope fashioned into a noose hanging outside her Coeur d'Alene home. She told investigators she felt threatened by the noose because someone had threatened her at work about her ethnicity. Investigators talked to a neighbor who owned the property. He told them "he hung a deer up there [about a year ago] and he believes the rope is from that time." He told investigators that he mentioned that information to Dolezal. Investigators say they called Dolezal, but she never returned their call and the case was closed.

And then in 2015, she got "hate mail" delivered to her PO Box (no stamps, no barcode, no processing of any kind, leading investigators to believe it was either one of the three postal employees or someone with a key to the box who put the letter there). The 20 pages of notes included pictures and lynchings and words like "war pig."

"I was immediately struck by guns pointed towards me," Dolezal told KXLY of the pictures in February.

When asked, since she had a key to the post office box, was it possible she put that envelope in there herself, Dolezal said: "I don't know if I even have any words for that because, as a mother of two black sons, I would never terrorize my children and I don't know any mother, personally who would trump up or fabricate anything that severe that would affect her kids."

Interesting how these cases are mirrors of one another. Individuals, clearly struggling with identity issues, vying to be in the public eye, and hoax hate crimes.

John Mc Gowan said...

Jussie Smollett charged with filing a false report - police

Chicago police say that US actor Jussie Smollett has been charged with filing a false police report.

The Empire star had said he was subjected to a homophobic and racist physical attack by two men in January.

Doubt was later cast on his account after US media reported that police believed he may have paid two Nigerian brothers to stage the attack.

Mr Smollett's lawyers said they would "conduct a thorough investigation and mount an aggressive defence".

On Wednesday a police spokesman said felony criminal charges had been approved against the actor.

Mr Smollett had been charged for "disorderly conduct / filing a false police report", the spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a tweet.

"Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest."

Suspects held over attack on actor released
Jussie Smollett performs after attack
Lawyers Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson, who are representing the actor, said in a statement: "Like any other citizen, Mr Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked."

They had previously said that Mr Smollett had "been further victimised by claims... that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth."




https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47313172

Nadine Lumley said...

Who says "little pinky" when talking about little gay boys?

Very concerning.

Anonymous said...

Jussie sent letter/staged the attack because he wanted a higher salary (according to police press conference)???? How would his actions lead to a higher salary? I don't believe it.

Autumn

Anonymous said...

In November 2018 Jussie donated 125.000 dollar to several black charities. In October 2018 he surprised a 6 year old double amputee with a handicap accessible van. He made many large donations in previous years. All according to online information. He's from a very successful family. It doesn't look like he has a lack of money.

Autumn

New England Water Blog said...

He already blamed his brother for a crime he himself committed so we know that self preservation is more important to him than loyalty. The next thing will be his implication of Kamala and Spartacus in setting this whole thing up. The timing relative to their idiotic lynching legislation suggests a coordinated effort.

In the words of the late great Jackie Gleason "How sweet it is!"

Anonymous said...

Agreed: the bill seems idiotic. Nobody gets lynched anymore and lynching already qualifies as murder but because certain presidential candidates (Harris and Booker) wanted some nice facts on their resumes the bill had to be pushed through at all cost. What better boost for these two candidates than to instill some extra “white guilt” into the electorate via a white supremacist attack on a famous black gay actor. I’m not saying they orchestrated the hoax (although – given her recent reaction and the SA recusal – I would not be surprised if Harris had at least prior knowledge), but it was all so very convenient. Are they now going to make separate bills for all countless other possible forms of murder (that actually DO occur)? I don't think so.

I think the activist Jussie – who is friends with Harris and poses in countless pictures with other very high profile black Democrat politicians - had an interest in the Anti Lynching Bill being passed. Not only because he is (part) black but also because at the last minute provisions regarding “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” were included in the bill. There was some opposition to these provisions. This was all going on right around the time when the fake anonymous letter – conveniently calling Jussie “black fag” and showing a drawing of a lynching – was received (22 January 2019). See for example this article from 21 January 2019. The letter didn’t get any publicity. So Jussie came up with the attack. He told the Nigerian brothers that the attack had to take place before 29 January 2019. Why was that date so important?

Autumn

Phoenix1966 said...

"He told the Nigerian brothers that the attack had to take place before 29 January 2019. Why was that date so important?"

@Autumn, supposedly, the brothers' trip to Nigeria was already booked prior to Jussie's plan, so the attack had to take place before they left.

GrannysBlanket said...

Smolett cried wolf about a supposed homophobic / racist attack. He did it for personal gain.

As a result, people will treat victims of hate crimes with more scepticism.

Smolett, a supposedly proud, gay, black man put his own ends ahead of those of the black community and the gay community when he did this.

He harmed victims of hate crimes and he acted in a way likely to deepen animosity to marginalised groups.

Many on the right have condemned him, but nobody on the left seems to want to say a bad word against him, even now.

Surely, black and gay folk should be falling over themselves to condemn a man who purposely lied in a way that can only harm victims of hate crimes?

Instead they're all just backing away.

As an ex leftist, it looks to me like moral cowardice.

It knocks me sick.

Anonymous said...

Phoenix1966, OK, thanks for letting me know. I thought Jussie had told the brothers it had to take place before that date. But I can't find that anymore online so I guess you're right.

Autumn

Tania Cadogan said...

The judge who set "Empire” star Jussie Smollett's bond at $100,000 gave the actor an earful after Smollett was charged Thursday with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report.

"As you stand before me we presume you're innocent but the state read me a proffer that is outrageous. If true, the noose conjures up [the] greatest evil in this country," Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. told Smollett.

The 36-year-old actor said little other than giving his name at the beginning of Thursday's hearing. His attorney, who said the actor denies all charges against him, asked the judge to release Smollett on his own recognizance. However, the judge said that would be inappropriate.

Following three weeks of mounting suspicions, Smollett, who is accused of filing a false police report, was charged Wednesday with felony disorderly conduct. He turned himself in at central booking early Thursday. If convicted, he is facing up to three years in prison.

Smollett told police he was attacked by two masked men as he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop at around 2 a.m on Jan. 29. The actor, who is black and gay, said the masked men beat him, made derogatory comments and yelled "This is MAGA country" – a reference to President Donald Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again" – before fleeing.

Prosecutors said at the actor's bond hearing on Thursday that Smollett misled police and the public to believe that his attackers were white when he told police his primary attacker was wearing a ski mask that only exposed the area around his eyes, but that he could see the man had white skin.

Police said Smollett actually hired two black men to help him carry out the hoax. According to prosecutors, Smollett told the two brothers he hired to attack him to yell "MAGA country" and put a rope around his neck during the staged attack.

"He instructed them to get his attention by yelling 'Empire F--' and 'Empire n-----' [and] instructed them to give him a chance to appear to fight back," Assistant State's Attorney Risa Lanier said. Lanier said he provided them with $100 to purchase a red hat, masks and gloves.

Tania Cadogan said...

cont.

Chicago cops laid out their case against Smollett Thursday morning, accusing the TV star of orchestrating an elaborate hoax involving two "bogus" hate crimes – one involving an alleged attack, and one involving a threatening letter – all in order to get a pay raise.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Smollett orchestrated a "phony attack" in order to take "advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career."

Johnson said at the news conference Thursday that Smollett also sent a racist and homophobic threatening letter to himself at the Fox studio lot before the attack because he was dissatisfied with his salary.

"I'm left hanging my head and asking why," a visibly upset Johnson told reporters. "Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol...how can an individual who has been embraced by the city of Chicago turn around and slap everyone in this city by making this false claim?"

He added, "Bogus police reports cause real harm."

Johnson said police found the "check that [Smollett] used to pay [the brothers]" to fake the beating, adding he paid them $3,500 "for the two of them in total, and then $500 upon return."

He said the attack "was staged, the brothers had on gloves during the (air quotes) 'staged attack' where they punched him a little, but as far as we can tell, the scratching and bruising that you saw on [Smollett's] face was most likely self-inflicted.”

Johnson was also incensed at the spotlight the incident put on his town for the past three weeks.

“This is shameful because it painted this city that we all love and work hard in, in a negative connotation," he said. "To insinuate and stage a hate crime of that nature when he knew that as a celebrity he’d get a lot of attention… It’s despicable. It makes you wonder what’s going through someone’s mind.”
"As a black man, who spent his entire life living the city of Chicago, I know the racial divide that exists here. I know how hard it's been for our city and our nation to come together," he said. Johnson added that "absolute justice would be an apology to this city that he smeared....admitting what he did and then be man enough to offer what he should offer up in terms of all the resources that were put into this."

"Empire" is shot in Chicago and follows a black family as they navigate the ups and downs of the recording industry. 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment told Fox News on Thursday, "We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process. We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options."

In less than a month, the 36-year-old changed from being the seemingly sympathetic victim of a hate crime to being accused of fabricating the entire thing.

The felony charge emerged on the same day detectives and the two brothers, who were initially viewed as suspects, testified before a grand jury. Smollett's attorneys met with prosecutors and police, but it was unknown what they discussed or whether Smollett attended the meeting.

Tania Cadogan said...

cont.

In a statement to Fox News on Wednesday, Smollett's attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said the actor "enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked." They did not provide further comment when contacted by Fox News on Thursday.

Police said the investigation shifted after they questioned the two brothers who were in the area that morning. Police said Thursday that Smollett spoke to the brothers an hour before and an hour after he says they helped the actor stage last month's attack.

Detective Commander Edward Wodnicki said at the news conference that after questioning the brothers for nearly two days last week, they were released and investigators no longer viewed them as suspects.

The brothers, who were identified by their attorney as Abimbola "Abel" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo, were initially held for nearly 48 hours on suspicion of assaulting Smollett. Police said one of the men had worked on "Empire," and Smollett's attorneys said one of the men is the actor's personal trainer, whom he hired to help get him physically ready for a music video. The actor released his debut album, "Sum of My Music," last year.

Investigators said they have phone records that show there were extensive communications between Smollett and the brothers. Lanier said Thursday afternoon that one of the brothers, Abel, was a source of "designer drugs," including Molly, for the actor.

Wodnicki said the brothers testified before a grand jury before prosecutors charged Smollett on Wednesday. Smollett was charged by prosecutors, not the grand jury. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the brothers appeared before the panel to "lock in their testimony."

Tania Cadogan said...

cont.

Speaking outside the courthouse where the grand jury met on Wednesday, the brothers' attorney said the two men testified for about two-and-a-half hours.

"There was a point where this story needed to be told, and they manned up and they said we're going to correct this," Gloria Schmidt said.

She said her clients did not care about a plea deal or immunity. "You don't need immunity when you have the truth," she said.

She also said her clients received money from Smollett, but she did not elaborate.

Smollett has been active in LBGTQ issues, and initial reports of the assault drew outrage and support for him on social media, including from Sen. Kamala Harris of California and TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

But several hours after Smollett was declared a suspect and the charges announced, there was little reaction from celebrities online.

Smollett has a record, one that concerns giving false information to police when he was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence. He later pleaded no contest to a reduced charge and took an alcohol education and treatment program.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/empire-actor-jussie-smollett-bond-100g-following-arrest-false-report-hate-crime

also

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/chicago-police-blast-jussie-smollett-phony-attack-bogus-police-reports-cause-real-harm

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/rush-limbaugh-blasts-media-for-jussie-smollett-coverage-praises-chicago-police-superintendent-eddie-johnson

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jussie-smolletts-celebrity-supporters-largely-silent-after-chicago-police-blast-empire-actors-hoax

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-slams-jussie-smollett-for-smearing-supporters-with-racist-and-dangerous-comments

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/tnt-to-shelve-jussie-smollett-episode-of-drop-the-mic-amid-arrest-for-alleged-staged-attack


Tania Cadogan said...

Basically his career is now over and down the pan.
The best thing he can do now to salvage at least a fraction of his reputation is to come clean admit everything at the first opportunity, accept full responsibility, be genuinely remorseful, accept whatever punishment the judge decides and then even if not sentenced to it, do a bucket load of community work to pay back the damage done to race relations and also political relations.

It seems that all the worlds ills, every crime, every comment or look that can be perceived as a microaggression is blamed on Trump.
The democrats and the left are absolutely determined to manufacture race hate and anything else they can at Trump.
The Republicans can do the exact same to the clintons, from bill allegedly raping someone to their money, their foundation, several unexplained deaths, coniving with iran and iraq, the russians, arab countries.
Deals were made on the basis hillary would win, she seemed almost a dead cert and promises were given that when she won XYZ would happen.
When she lost, the democrats were in shock, i remember watching the results coming in and watching the panel going from we're going to win, yee hah to OMG we lost, it was hysterical.
The problem then was all the money handed over, the promises and deals made were no longer going to happen and there was going to be payback.
The democrats were forced to act in order to protect hillary and by default bill and also their own asses which were now in deep trouble. The fight for the democrat nomination is going to be fun, will hillary stand again (assuming she doesn't keep falling over) will her health issues come out?
The apparent fits she seemed to have regularly.
I can't wait.

Anyone who claims politics is boring is missing out on the fun and games.

Phoenix1966 said...

@Autumn, Orchestrating the attack around the brothers' departure is something I read online. As we know, the reporting of the facts in this case has been shoddy, so there may well be another reason why the date was important. I also read the attack was supposed to occur earlier than 2 am., but Jussie's flight into Chicago had been delayed by 7 hours and pushed back his timing.

So, for whatever reason, he really did need for the attack to happen by the 29th.

John Mc Gowan said...

'I swear to God, I didn't do this': Jussie Smollett heads to Empire set after posting $100k bail in hoax race attack arrest and begs cast to believe him - as his lawyers slam Chicago cops for 'trampling on presumption of innocence'

Snipped:

Jussie Smollett headed straight to the Empire set to beg his cast mates to believe he did not stage a race hoax attack on himself hours after posting $10,000 bond and agreeing to surrender his passport at a court hearing.

Smollett, who was earlier supported by his family, is said to have told everyone on the set: 'I’m sorry I’ve put you all through this and not answered any calls. I wanted to say I’m sorry and, you know me, I would never do this to any of you, you are my family. I swear to God, I did not do this.'

The actor, scheduled to film scenes for the show Thursday, keep cast and crew waiting for at least 30 minutes, TMZ reports. Sources say it was obvious Smollett had been crying so producers then told him come back later.

His legal team later issued a statement calling Smollett 'a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence'.

They said: 'Today we witnessed an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system. The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a Mayoral election.

'Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing.'

20th Century Fox have not yet decided whether to suspend or fire Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon, the son of music mogul Lucious Lyon. The studio is said to be 'considering its options' in light of his arrest.

Hours earlier they had said they stood by the 'consummate professional' and furiously denied claims he is being written out of the show, which is in its fifth season and returns to the air March 13.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6732083/Shamed-Jussie-Smollett-heads-straight-Empire-set-begs-cast-believe-him.html?ito=social-facebook&fbclid=IwAR2aRLv-OMg8pHimUrmQ6qEuWPwVaMsYImlrUiw6w8QaHLVZe1JCxoDWFpI

Anonymous said...

Yesterday Jussie's lawyers said, among other things, the following:

“The presumption of innocence, a bedrock, in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably on the eve of a mayoral election.”

See this article.

I wondered: what on earth does this hoax have to do with the mayoral election in Chicago? I did some research. An election for Mayor of Chicago is scheduled to be held on February 26, 2019. Early voting has already begun, starting January 29, 2019. The exact date before which the staged attack had to take place according to the Nigerian brothers. There may be a connection. Rahm Emanuel does not seek re-election. Al Sharpton has repeatedly called for Emanuel to step down because of his lack of leadership in controversial police shootings. Some black activists want to see a progressive, black mayor in Chicago again, see for instance this article. Rev. Jesse Jackson along with several community leaders have started a movement (PUSH) with exactly that objective, see this article. Maybe the hoax was (also) intended as incentive for the black people of Chicago to go out and vote for a black, progressive mayoral candidate? Interestingly, Kamala Harris and Al Sharpton had a meeting just hours after Jussie was arrested, see here. Maybe this hoax was intended as a “two birds in one stone”-kind of thing: to push Kamala Harris’s Anti-Lynching Bill through the Senate and to help Jesse Jackson (and Al Sharpton?)’s movement to get a progressive, black mayor elected in Chicago.

Autumn

Anonymous said...

The last two links in my previous comment don't work. Therefore, I'll post them below:

- https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/leaders-seek-harold-washington-style-unity-rahm-emanuel-jesse-jacksons/

- https://bluntforcetruth.com/news/hate-hoax-promoters-kamala-harris-and-al-sharpton-meet-in-harlem-hours-after-jussie-smollett-arrested/

Autumn

JezMyOpinion said...

Another excellent analysis Mr. Hyatt. Curious to see what will happen with the records being unsealed today.