Appearing Thursday morning on NBC’s Today, Jussie Smollett attorney Tina Glandian claimed the Chicago Police Department’s handling of the Empire actor’s case is worse than the alleged hate hoax he staged on himself.
A partial transcript is as follows:
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: If [Jussie Smollett] is a victim of a crime, as he contends, will he urge prosecutors to bring charges against the Osundairo brothers and will he be willing to testify?
TINA GLANDIAN: You know, I think in light of what he’s been through the last two months, he’s really just — he’s told me numerous times — I want to move on.
GUTHRIE: Does that make sense though? This is a terrible attack.
GLANDIAN: What that attack was pales in comparison to the attack on him by the by, by the CPD, by the press, by the public–
GUTHRIE: He would be vindicated if [the Osundairo brothers] were exposed as liars in a court of law, would he not?
GLANDIAN: And we would want that, but what he’s been through after the fact has been a much harsher attack than what he endured that night. This wasn’t a very brutal attack, obviously. I was freighting and something he didn’t deserve, but they didn’t beat him so badly. He, at this point, you know, again, has been victimized much more what happened afterward than what happened that night.