Not even a full day has passed since the announcement of the verdict on the trial of disgraced actor Smollett, as many of those who supported him at the beginning of the case and did not show any doubt about his credibility during the sensational trial overnight distanced themselves from the actor, whom the whole country sympathized with almost two years ago.
During her regular press briefing at the White House, Jen Psaki was questioned as to whether there were any lessons learned from Smollett's case, especially when it comes to rushing to judgment.
The reporter asked the question in light of the fact that Smollett, supported by numerous celebrities, was vocally backed by future President Joe Biden and his soon-to-be running mate Kamala Harris.
"There are lessons learned, perhaps for everybody who commented at the time, including former President Trump," Psaki replied, referring to the fact that then-President Trump also condemned the alleged attack at the time the incident made headlines. "I would say that we respect the jury's decision. Lying to the police particularly about something as heinous as a hate crime is shameful, incidents of that need to be investigated fully, and those found guilty need to be punished."
Psaki also noted that false accusations tend to divert police resources from solving real crimes, also making it "harder for real victims to come forward and be believed."
Deliver Us From Evil
Predictably, after Smollett's guilty verdict was announced, the past tweets of many prominent Democrats rushing to comment on the incident in January 2019 began circulating again. In those tweets, many celebrities and politicians expressed unconditional support for Smollett.
Biden and Harris symbolically led those past supportive liberal voices. And certain questions have been raised as to whether they should apologize or clarify their previous public defense of his innocence.
Shortly after Smollett claimed in 2019 that two racist Trump supporters assaulted him and wrapped a noose around his neck, Biden, then only considering his presidential bid, wrote on Twitter that "what happened today to @JussieSmollett must never be tolerated in this country."
"We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie," he added.
Meanwhile, Harris, then a California senator, called the incident a "modern-day lynching."
"@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery," she posted in January 2019. "This was an attempted modern-day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate."
Harris' sentiments were echoed by Democrat Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who also dubbed the alleged attack an "attempted modern-day lynching," urging his colleagues to adopt his anti-lynching bill.
They were joined by a slew of other liberal politicians, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), both members of the party's progressive left-leaning wing dubbed "The Squad."
The "guilty must face the maximum" for the alleged crime against Smollett, Reverend Al Sharpton said at the time. Ironic when you look at this statement from today.
...And Justice for All
However, this response did not suit many commentators, as conservatives demanded that Biden, Harris, and their colleagues repudiate their statements, which allegedly only contributed to the development of the situation due to the huge publicity.
"President Biden? Vice President Harris? Speaker Pelosi? Leader Schumer? The rest of you? The verdict is in. No serious person contests it. We’ve all seen the evidence. You made claims–passionately–that have turned out to be spectacularly false. Yet you say … nothing?" wrote Robert George, a Princeton University professor, on his Twitter.
Some, after the jury's verdict, wondered how much hate for Trump was required to be motivated to destroy one's own life.
"Jussie Smollett hated Trump so much that he ruined his entire life over him," one user tweeted. "We called it “Trump Derangement Syndrome” for a reason."
The actor's exclusive interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America," which took place in 2019, drew considerable criticism as well, for apparently helping the actor spread his lies nationwide. In that interview, Smollett claimed that before punching him in the face, attackers shouted "This is MAGA country" at him, a claim that he later denied in court.
The memory of the Internet did not spare even actor Elliot Page, who, when he was still going by Ellen in 2019, spoke very harshly about the incident and how the Trump administration was to blame for it, urging the audience of a late-night show to "connect the dots."
However, as expected, the comments were also full of memes and jokes about Smollett's verdict.
"Tonight, Jussie Smollett can rest knowing that his attacker has been convicted," radio host and journalist Ben Shapiro quipped.
Donald Trump's son, Donald Jr., also expressed his opinion on the verdict.
"I’m just happy to live in a country where people will go to jail for attacking a gay black man..." he wrote. "There’s absolutely no place for that shit in America, or anywhere else, and I am happy the perpetrator was brought to justice."
No Backing From Don This Time, Jussie
An interesting turn of events happened to the host of CNN Don Lemon, who was a friend of the disgraced actor. During the renewed trial, which convicted Smollett, Lemon personally supported his friend, according to media reports, and allegedly was the first to inform him that the police did not believe his story.
But on Thursday night, Don Lemon called his friend a liar on live TV mere hours after the verdict was delivered. According to Lemon, in an attempt to explain his fake narrative, Smollett "had to make up too many lies."
"I guess he got caught up in that because he took the stand himself. He got angry with the prosecutor as the prosecutor poked holes in his story, calling the only other witnesses liars," Lemon said.
Ultimately, the CNN anchor added that Smollett may have made it more difficult for "legitimate victims of hate crimes" to be taken seriously.
Anyway, now Smollet, whose career was effectively ruined even before the verdict, faces up to three years in prison, although, according to reports, because of his having no prior criminal record, and because he was not held in contempt by the court during the trial, he is considerably more likely to receive a probationary sentence.