Democratic presidential candidates cancel statements of support for Jussie Smollett

"Like most of you, I have seen reports on Jussie Smollett, and I am sad, frustrated and disappointed," said the Democratic presidential candidate. posted on Twitter on Twitter. "When someone makes false statements to the police, not only does it detract from serious investigative resources, but it complicates the task of other victims of crime."

Smollett told the authorities last month that the men had tied a rope around his neck and poured him an unknown chemical. He received a wave of support when he first released the report, including from the California Democrat, who said: "We have to face this hate."

"@JussieSmollett is one of the nicest and sweetest human beings I know of.I pray for his quick recovery," Harris tweeted in January. "It was an attempt at modern day lynching, no one should be afraid for his life because of his sexuality or the color of his skin, we have to deal with this hatred."

In a statement released Thursday after Smollett's arrest, the senator wrote that "hate crimes are on the rise in America" ​​and said, "Part of the tragedy of this situation is that it is diverting of the truth and was seized by some would like to reject and minimize the very real problems that we must solve.We should not allow this. "

"I will always condemn racism and homophobia, we must always deal with hatred directly, and we must always seek justice," Harris said. "That's why I'm going to keep fighting."

Senator Kristen Gillibrand, a presidential candidate, said she hoped the incident would not diminish the voice of survivors of hate crimes.

"I do not know what happened … we'll all know about it soon," the New York Democrat told reporters at an event that took place in Texas on Thursday following the news. 39, an investigation into the case. "I hope that this incident will not downplay the real crisis faced by people who are discriminated against for their homosexuality or for communities of color, discriminated against for racism."

"It's really important that survivors feel that they can come forward and that it does not diminish their voices," Gillibrand said.

When asked if she thought it was too early to come to a conclusion, Gillibrand said, "You know, it just shows that there is sometimes more than something and we just have to see what happens. "

Chicago Police Commissioner Eddie Johnson said at a press conference Thursday that Smollett paid $ 3,500 to his brothers to organize the attack, taking advantage of "the pain and anger racism to promote his career ".

Smollett appeared in court Thursday, where prosecutors claimed that the actor had ordered the two men to utter a racial insult, to refer to "Make America Great Again" and to incorporate a noose into the allegedly organized attack. He faces a charge of disorderly conduct and was released on bail of $ 100,000.

A statement from Smollett camp on Thursday night pointed out that he was maintaining his innocence.

"Today we are witnessing an organized police show that has no place in the American legal system," the statement said. "The presumption of innocence, the cornerstone of the search for justice, has been trampled at the expense of Mr. Smollett and especially on the eve of an election by the mayor." Mr. Smollett is a young man of A character and impeccable integrity that has solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to evade due process and go directly to sentencing. "