The US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigate the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who, according to police, invented a racist and homophobic attack against him. President Donald Trump announced this via Twitter. "It's shameful for our nation!" Trump wrote.
FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment to our nation!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2019The prosecution had surprisingly dropped the charges against the 36-year-old actor from the drama series "Empire". In return, Smollett lost the $ 10,000 (about € 8,900) he had deposited as a bail for his release, and made only 16 community hours, according to media reports.
The prosecution's decision left open whether or not Smollett should be accused of misconduct. Smollett's lawyers see their client relieved.
The actor had previously been arrested for alleged false statements with the police. He had, according to investigators, two men paid to feign the attack on him: Smollett had reported that he had been attacked in the night in Chicago in the street of two masked and insulted racist and anti-gay. It was also the Trump slogan "Make America Great Again" been called.
The police in Chicago, however, believed that the gay African-American actor wanted to advance his career by staging the robbery.
Chicago demands $ 130,000 from Smollett
The city of Chicago also demanded $ 130,000 from Smollet: In a letter from the city's legal department to Smollett and his lawyers, it said the sum covered the overtime of more than two dozen investigators and police spending weeks To check Smollett's allegations.
Even before his intervention on Thursday, President Trump had already taken the opportunity to comment on the case from the highest point. He accused Smollett a few weeks ago of having discredited millions of his followers with "racist and dangerous comments."