Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appeared on CNN last evening to speak about all 16 charges against Jussie Smollett being dropped and–guess what?–he ain’t happy about it.
Right off the bat, Emanuel told Wolf Blitzer the case “makes no legal sense” then called it “an abomination of my sense of justice.”
Related: All charges against Jussie Smollett have been dropped
“He went out and spoke on ABC to the country, as an African American and a gay man, about being the victim of a crime,” Emanuel said. “It was all a hoax and a moral violation.”
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“He used the hate crime laws to advance his own career and he got caught.”
But Emanuel didn’t stop there.
“He’s walking around like he’s exonerated, with no sense of remorse or contrition,” the mayor continued. “He gets off with two days of community service. He used those [anti-hate crime] laws and those sentiments that bind us together as a society, to promote his own career, and then he’s walking around as if he’s done nothing wrong.”
Emanuel then asked, rhetorically: “If he wasn’t an actor, do you think two days of community service would be enough?”
Related: Gay Trump supporter records himself having meltdown over Jussie Smollett case
“[If] we found out I put [a swastika] on the door for … my own career or you for your own career, … do you think two days of community service [and] the slate would be clean?”
Emanuel concluded by saying: “The fact is he’s walking away, no remorse, no contrite, doesn’t believe he did anything wrong and used the hate crime laws to advance his own career and got caught and his entire penalty become to society is two days of community service. It’s just not right.”
Watch.
Vince
Good for Jussie! Having friends in high places really does pay off!
Wicked Dickie
I never believed his version of the story from the beginning. It is just weird that he got off scot-free.
Vince
I get it that guys like him get a different kind of justice then the rest of us but this was just too high profile of a case. I think it’s eventually going to come to light.
WindsorOntario
He’s rich, he’s Jewish, he’s half-white, and he has political connections. Of course nothing was going to happen to him. He has that Tori Spelling smirk/smile that I can’t stand looking at & you can bet he’s going to do something like this again. His little personality disorder is going to go too far someday.
Brian
He’s arrogant enough to think he’s invincible after this. Let’s hope he pulls an OJ and does something to get his comeuppance down the road.
Blackceo
Rahm Emanuel isn’t wrong, but I also wish Rahm would’ve had this kind of energy regarding the Laquan McDonald police shooting video, claiming he knew nothing about it, and delaying its release. He also went into agreement with the police union of Chicago that gives them 48 hours to “cool off” before being interrogated, prohibits accused officers’ names from being made public, the name of anyone who reports them for misconduct, and erases all records of their misconduct. So forgive me if I don’t give AF about what Rahm Emanuel has to say. He has never spoken so much about a case from his horrible tenure as mayor of Chicago and his corrupt police department. He might want to sit this one out.
Jussie Smollett’s deal is actually not uncommon, but he has the money to be able to be offered this deal. So this is class privilege defined.
Kangol
Rahm Emanuel is a neoliberal scumbag who doesn’t give a damn about the majority of people ini Chicago, as he’s demonstrated since he snuck into office eight or so years ago. He did everything he could to help cover up Laquan McDonald’s murder, and has presided over a city in distress. It’s actually worse off than it was when Richard M Daley (the son) was mayor. The best thing he can do is shut up and leave office quietly when his term is up!
Curtispsf
Yup. What Kangol said.
DCguy
This case was weird from the beginning, the police were leaking information at an unprecedented rate, the story kept changing, and then all charges dropped???
I”m sorry, but for all charges to be dropped there had to be something odd in the arrest.
Bryguyf69
Except that the police is against dropping the charges. Indeed, the police superintendent is as pissed as the mayor, and he has been outspoken about Smollett for weeks. This was a decision from the DA’s office alone. So a coverup of police misconduct wouldn’t make sense.
jkthsnk
Rahm is a throwback to the great days of Chicago’s political history; the racist ones of Daley senior. Just another member of the Clinton crime syndicate.
Vince
Jesus Christ. Give it a rest Uncle Tom.
Curtispsf
It would bring me GREAT joy to see Rahm Emanuel to have to eat his words.
dean089
Wow, I’m actually having a moment of respect for Rahm Emanuel. If I were Jussie Smollett and genuinely innocent of these crimes, as he contends, I would WANT a trial in order to prove my innocence. “Charges dropped” doesn’t mean what his lawyer is saying it means, it doesn’t mean innocence. He will forever have that cloud hanging over him.