White House press secretary Jen Psaki was grilled at Friday's press conference on previous comments by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris supporting now-convicted actor Jussie Smollett and falling for the hate crime hoax. Smollett was convicted Thursday on five of six charges over staging an anti-gay, racist attack on himself almost three years ago and then lied to Chicago police.
Biden weighed in back in January 2019, declaring that the American public must "stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor."
What happened today to @JussieSmollett must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie. https://t.co/o8ilPu68CM
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 30, 2019
Harris called the incident an "attempted modern day lynching" and described Smollett as "one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know."
.@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 29, 2019
This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate.
"There are lessons learned, perhaps, for everybody who commented at the time," Psaki told reporters Friday at the White House press briefing.
Further deflecting from the current president and vice president's statements, Psaki noted that Biden and Harris weren't alone in believing Smollett.
"Including former President Trump," she added, pointing out that Trump also had commented in the early days of the sensational story's media coverage.
President Trump on the alleged brutal racist and homophobic attack against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett: "That I can tell you, is horrible. I've seen it last night. I think that's horrible. It doesn't get worse, as far as I'm concerned" https://t.co/1LFSHtmBRH pic.twitter.com/7VAPCdwAlk
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 31, 2019
"That, I can tell you, is horrible. It doesn't get worse," Trump had told the press pool when asked about the incident not long after the news broke.
"I would say that we respect the jury's decision," Psaki said. "Lying to the police, particularly about something as heinous as a hate crime, is shameful."
Psaki also stated that the White House supports follow-up on legal actions prepared against Smollett by the city of Chicago.
"Instances of that need to be investigated fully, and those found guilty need to be punished," Psaki said to reporters Friday afternoon. "And false accusations divert valuable police resources away from important investigations. They make it harder for real victims to come forward and be believed."
"If you look back, at the time, it's also true and important to note that accusations of hate crimes should be taken seriously, and they need to be fully investigated. that's [what] everybody was looking at, at the time," she continued.
Psaki concluded: "But certainly, knowing what we know now, it's important to also note the danger of lying to police and lying about hate crimes..."
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy
