Reversal: Booker To Withhold Judgment on Smollett Case Until More Facts Are Known

The ink was barely dry on the first reports of the alleged attack on Jussie Smollett when Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) posted a show of support for the actor, and condemnation for what the “Empire” star told police had happened to him.

Booker, without evidence, rushed to judgment, tweeting that “The vicious attack on actor Jussie Smollett was an attempted modern-day lynching. I’m glad he’s safe.”

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

It was Jan. 29th, just a few days before he would officially announce that he was running for president.

Fast forward to almost three weeks later, with reports coming out about how Smollett may have staged the attack to keep his “Empire” job. The case may even go to a grand jury as soon as this week.

Booker, doing campaign stops in New Hampshire on Sunday, sang the “let’s wait and see” tune:

Sen. Cory Booker, who called the alleged attack on Jussie Smollett a “modern-day lynching” after the actor reported it, is withholding judgment on reports alleging Smollett is under investigation for possible involvement in his own assault.

Booker told reporters after meeting with hundreds of voters in Rochester, New Hampshire, that he would reserve judgment “until all the information actually comes out from on-the-record sources.”

The Democratic presidential candidate turned his focus back to combating hate crimes broadly. Booker called for a unified pushback against “attacks on people because they’re different.”

Watch Booker’s pivot on the Smollett case play out in the video below:

.@eschor asks @CoryBooker to respond to reports that the Jussie Smollett attack may have been planned by the actor.

He called the attack a “modern day lynching” when the news broke. pic.twitter.com/8Zf8y7vhrv

— Megan Pratz (@meganpratz) February 17, 2019

Booker’s sudden decision to wait for the facts instead of rushing to judgment like he did when the Smollett story first broke is an interesting one. Especially when you compare how he treated then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh at his Supreme Court confirmation hearings to how he responded to the sexual assault allegations against Va. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D).

It appears the New Jersey Senator has one set of standards on issues that stand to benefit him politically, and another set of “standards” when they don’t.

Quelle surprise.

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—Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–

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