The wheels are coming off the Jussie Smollett story quickly Saturday, as those two Nigerian brothers have apparently cooperated with police and claim they where directed and paid by Smollett to buy rope and red hats and orchestrate a hate attack.
A lot of tweets from politicians and celebrities wishing to get in on the story haven’t aged well, and Caleb Hull passed around a few screenshots from Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, and Cory Booker, who called the alleged attack “a modern-day lynching.”
Broadcast journalist Shawn Reynolds, though, has volunteered to play defense for the Democrats, arguing that everything they said was a completely acceptable response at the time.
Given the information at the time, these are completely acceptable responses. If these were posted in the last 5 minutes, it would be entirely different. https://t.co/DChdlRQfo7
— Shawn Reynolds (@ShawnReynolds_) February 17, 2019
Yeah, no. Read those tweets again.
lol
— Currently between fraudulent suspensions (@jtLOL) February 17, 2019
that's not true at all.
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) February 17, 2019
Of course it is. You’re trying to stir the pot. If no one had responded in support of Smollett at the time, you would’ve called them out anyway
— Shawn Reynolds (@ShawnReynolds_) February 17, 2019
This might just be the worst take I've seen on the Jussie Smollett case.
Justifying celebrities, journalists, and politicians spreading total misinformation to smear Trump because the media ran with a fake story is not making the point you think it's making. https://t.co/ndSLZ1I8uT
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) February 17, 2019
"Broadcast Journalist" https://t.co/el25bakuO1
— Currently between fraudulent suspensions (@jtLOL) February 17, 2019
— unclekyle (@unclekyle) February 17, 2019
Not true at all. The “information” given at the time was literally only from him. Taking accusations seriously is something everyone should do. But reporting on them without concrete evidence and telling everyone it it definitely happened when there’s no proof is wrong.
— Ryan Masnyk (@Masnyk) February 17, 2019
Claim =/= Information
— Ben Hayes (@hayesy316) February 17, 2019
That's the problem with today. Everyone has to be an instant expert rather than letting facts play out. Any child could tell his changing story was bullshit especially with how many details he gave. Most crimes people can hard remember small details.
— Kevin Spice (@kspice2803) February 17, 2019
As soon as he refused to turn over his phone and left the rope around his neck until cops arrived the lie was exposed. Desperation to see the country through your twisted perspective made it seem logical to you.
— That Guy (@AlaskaNorseman) February 17, 2019
“I screwed up and don’t have the balls to apologize.”
— Chris (@ChrisP1776) February 17, 2019
The damage is done chief.
— Chris (@propertymogul) February 17, 2019
False. At no time did his story hold any water. He was given the benefit of the doubt for the first half day. After that, every single fact about the case conflicted with his story. I'll give you a day leeway, but after that, you had no interest in the truth.
— zone of danger (@mr_bovine_jonie) February 17, 2019
Come on dude.
Two MAGA hat wearing rednecks walking around freezing Chicago at 2am with bleach and a noose beat him up and yelled “THIS IS MAGA COUNTRY!”
That was the fakest story I’ve ever heard and anyone with any sense knew it was fake.
— Obi_1_D_AllKnowing ?? (@obiopiah) February 17, 2019
— John Boyd (@jboyd302) February 17, 2019
No. Waiting 24-48 hours for more facts before running with a narrative you so desperately want would be the appropriate thing to do. You're a broadcast journalist? The allegation was farcical to begin with. @CalebJHull
— Mike (@mike4libertyCA) February 17, 2019
You *do* realize that the reason so many people have screenshots of these early tweets is because we all knew it was a hoax after the first few hours, right?
— zone of danger (@mr_bovine_jonie) February 17, 2019
— Anchorman30 (@robertanchor) February 17, 2019
— trbr (@tbro1982) February 17, 2019
Why is that? Because one man wants to claim it so? Within a day the police were unable to find any video. The time has come when we let law enforcement do their work before we cause panic. This could have caused tragic consequences.
— Grandmaj (@grandmaj2) February 17, 2019
Come on. This Jussie Smollett story reeked of hoax from the jump. These people are opportunists who ran with it anyway @CalebJHull
— Crash (@Boognish12) February 17, 2019
Not really. The idea that there were two white men with MAGA hats on walking around on the streets at 2am with a bottle of bleach and rope is so over the top that it deserved extreme skepticism from the beginning. It literally sounds like a comedy skit.
— Portland Frog (@FrogPortland) February 17, 2019
All the information at the time still should have told you something stunk to high heaven. Middle of night during a polar vortex two guys claiming Chicago (of all places) as “MAGA country” and then keeping the noose on himself for 40 some minutes…please
— JerBear (@JetSetGuy82) February 17, 2019
You are an idiot. They didn't have to weigh in at all until more facts were known.
— James Hicks ???? (@Jhic709365) February 17, 2019
What information? Racists, while carrying noose and bleach in public (in cold ass Chicago at 2am), identified a black, gay man bundled up in a polar vortex? Guy didn't report it to his doorman and kept noose around neck for over 40 mins? U idiots are willing to believe anything.
— ❌ Conservative Asian ❌ (@ConservativAzn1) February 17, 2019
Anyone who could fog a mirror knew this was a hoax from minute 1.
— ? OG TGSG ? (@TtererTw) February 17, 2019
Is he suggesting that Harris, Booker, Pelosi, and hundreds of other politicians and celebrities just ignore Saturday night’s developments and let their initial assessments stand and we’ll all just ignore it?
Related:
Report: Those two Nigerian brothers purchased the rope found around Jussie Smollett’s neck https://t.co/9DJ9I870XJ
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) February 16, 2019
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