Donald Trump announced via Twitter on Thursday that he planned to have the FBI and the Justice Department take a look at the Jussie Smollett case, and people aren’t having it.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, the president vowed to have federal investigators examine the situation because he believed it makes America look bad. Trump didn’t clarify what federal authorities could do in this situation, given that it isn’t under federal jurisdiction.
“FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment to our Nation!” he wrote.
Trump’s critics lashed back, suggesting that the president has better things to do with his time and this particular issue is racial politicking from the White House. David Axelrod, the former adviser to President Barack Obama, tweeted that the move was exploitative.
“By claiming a false attack, Smollett tried to exploit the hate @realDonaldTrump has stirred,” he tweeted. “Now, predictably, Trump is moving to exploit Smollett’s exploitation. Talk about a vicious circle!”
Adam Serwer, a writer for The Atlantic, said that the Smollett case is a useful political ploy for Republicans.
“In case it’s not obvious, Trump really likes the Jussie Smollett case because for him and his base it fits into the Trumpian/Fox News narrative that racism against minorities is fake but racism against white people is real,” he tweeted.
Others called out Trump for being dishonest, saying that he shouldn’t be attacking others who he believes are doing the same thing.
Do you Really think you're the best Person to Call someone else out for Lying?pic.twitter.com/XoFYujbMgu
— Ryan Hill (@RyanHillMI) March 28, 2019
Others questioned the sourcing of his information.
“I’m genuinely curious whether the President got an official update from the FBI at 6:34 a.m. today, or whether he is repeating something he saw on the morning news,” tweeted former FBI agent and CNN contributor Josh Cambell.
Others supported the president’s declaration, saying that if there was a miscarriage of justice in Chicago, it needed to be looked at.
Smollett claimed that he was attacked by two white men who made racist and homophobic slurs against him while putting a noose around his neck and pouring a chemical that smelled like bleach on him. He was later arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for making a false police report after investigators determined that the Empire actor may have had a role in orchestrating the attack.
Prosecutors in Chicago announced on Tuesday that they were dropping the charges against Smollett, upsetting the Chicago police and city Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who say that the case against the actor was tight.
The president has frequently attacked Smollett, claiming that he is attempting to paint Trump supporters in a negative light with the attack.