A CNN anchor said Thursday morning that Jussie Smollett’s arrest will put some Democrats running for president in 2020 in an awkward position, since they defended Smollett before all of the facts of the case were known.
“There was a rush to judgment, most all of the Democratic candidates weighed in on Twitter before they knew all of the facts of the case,” CNN’s “New Day” anchor Alisyn Camerota said Thursday morning after news broke that Smollett had been arrested.
She specifically mentioned that candidates did not say the attack was “alleged,” but took Smollett’s accusations as fact before the investigation concluded.
“The vicious attack on actor Jussie Smollett was an attempted modern-day lynching. I’m glad he’s safe. To those in Congress who don’t feel the urgency to pass our Anti-Lynching bill designating lynching as a federal hate crime– I urge you to pay attention,” senator and Democratic candidate Cory Booker, N.J., said on Twitter last month.
The vicious attack on actor Jussie Smollett was an attempted modern-day lynching. I’m glad he’s safe.
To those in Congress who don’t feel the urgency to pass our Anti-Lynching bill designating lynching as a federal hate crime– I urge you to pay attention. https://t.co/EwXFxl5f2m
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) January 29, 2019
Camerota suggested that Booker should have said “alleged vicious attack.”
CNN senior political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson also noted that Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., used similar language, which she said was troubling because Harris is a career prosecutor and former California attorney general.
“.@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery. 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,” Kamala tweeted last month.
.@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery.
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.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 29, 2019
“Part of it is they are in this kind of, I think, environment where it’s expected that people kind of come out and rush to judgment,” Henderson said, adding that Smollett’s alleged hoax played well with Democrats who oppose Trump.
“I think they [the candidates] played into that narrative,” Henderson said. ”I think they’re going to have to learn from this. I mean, remember, at least Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, they are lawyers.”
“Frankly, Kamala Harris should have exercised some caution,” Camerota said.
Chicago Police confirmed Thursday they arrested Smollett and charged with felony disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. He could face more than a decade in prison.
Smollett alleged that two white men beat him, put a rope around his neck, threw bleach on him, and yelled racist, homophobic, and pro-Trump comments at him. Reports emerged over the weekend that he paid someone he worked with on “Empire,” and his brother, to carry out the attack.
