With the arrest Thursday morning of Empire star Jussie Smollett, the actor’s defense team put out a statement celebrating the fact that he was afforded the “presumption of innocence” like any other citizen. But last, year Smollett himself insisted that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was guilty until proven innocent.
Jussie Smollett turned himself in early on Thursday morning, and the Chicago Police processed him into the system. Concurrent with his arrest, the actor’s team put out a statement reasserting Smollett’s “presumption of innocence” and slamming the Chicago Police for “leaking” information about the investigation to the press.
“Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been reportedly leaked. Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”
But last October, Smollett was not so willing to give Brett Kavanaugh the benefits of any presumption of innocence. Smollett tweeted out his support for the unproven claims of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford against Kavanaugh.
As Mediaite’s Julio Rosas pointed out:
Jussie Smollett in September: Kavanaugh does not get to enjoy presumption of innocence.
Jussie Smollett today: I get to enjoy presumption of innocence.
In January, Smollett claimed that two men beat him, called him homophobic slurs, and cast Donald Trump slogans at him in an attack in downtown Chicago. The Chicago Police immediately launched a weeks-long investigation into the claim, but evidence that it really happened was sparse.
Eventually, police tracked down the two men that Smollett claimed attacked him, but police say the men had a personal relationship with the actor and that he was the ringleader of the attack, not the victim.
Meanwhile, Smollett was allowed to remain free for weeks to go on TV shows to plead his case while being supported by the entire Hollywood community and the mainstream media.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.