Actor Jussie Smollett is the one who came up with the idea of having his two friends yell out, “This is MAGA country,” as they pretended to assault him in Chicago, according to a report from prosecutors.
Smollett, who has a role on the show “Empire,” is being charged with filing a false police report and telling the world he was the victim of a hate crime when two men attacked him earlier this month. He could face several years in prison.
On Thursday, a judge set a $100,000 bond for Smollett as he awaits trial, and prosecutors released a four-page summary of his actions. That summary says it was Smollett’s idea to have one of his friends, Olabinjo Osundairo, indicate he was a supporter of President Trump during the fake attack.
Jussie Smollett 4-Page Bond Proffer pic.twitter.com/ykUalJWrhb
— Joseph Kapsch (@JosephKapsch) February 21, 2019
“Defendant Smollett also included that he wanted Ola to place a rope around his neck, pour gasoline on him and yell ‘This is MAGA Country,'” it said.
The incident sparked an initial debate over whether Trump’s supporters are racists, until it became clear that Smollett staged the event. “MAGA” refers to Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
The summary of charges against Smollett also said Osundairo’s brother, Abimbola or “Abel,” supplied drugs to Smollett.
“[T]ext messages between Defendant Smollett and Abel revealed that Abel was a source of designer drugs for Defendant Smollett,” it said. “Specifically, since the spring of 2018, on several occasions, Defendant Smollett requested Abel to provide him with ‘Molly,’ which is a street name for the narcotic Ecstasy.”
