Jussie Smollett Flees Press After Being Released on $100,000 Bond
Richard Moorhead
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Jussie Smollett declined to make his first public statements since being charged with disorderly conduct when leaving court after posting bail.
Local media and reporters were seen on camera mobbing Smollett and asking questions about his now-exposed hate hoax. Smollett was surrounded by security guards, and seemed to be in the presence of his lawyers.
Smollett made a $10,000 payment and surrendered his passport to the court in the proceedings. Sources described the Empire actor and hoaxer as shaking his head and taking deep breaths throughout the hearing.
New details of the hoax were revealed in the initial court hearing, and text messages between Smollett and the Osundairo brothers (who were paid $3,500 to carry out the hoax) were read for the court.
It appears that Smollett’s legal team is planning on fighting against the charges. They released a statement seeking to push back on how their client was being described.
“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. Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”
Members of the press could be heard asking Smollett if he apologized to the people of Chicago for orchestrating a smear that reflected poorly on their community. Another asked if he apologized to the LGBTQ community.
More than anything, Smollett owes a profound apology to Trump supporters for creating a libelous canard in which they were depicted as bloodthirsty thugs.
Watch video of the interaction here:
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