Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris ignored reporters’ questions about the Jussie Smollett case as she left a Thursday meeting with Al Sharpton.
WATCH:
MOMENTS AGO: Sen. Kamala Harris ignores questions on Jussie Smollett case after dining with Rev. Al Sharpton in NYC https://t.co/KTebfRW6GJ pic.twitter.com/BHA0hgqwZy
— The Hill (@thehill) February 21, 2019
Harris and Sharpton walked out of a building and into a waiting throng of reporters and fans, smiling and waving. Harris remarked, “I love Harlem!” but gave no audible response to questions about recent developments in the case of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who alleged that he was the victim of a hate crime in late January.
Both Harris and Sharpton spoke out against the alleged attack at the time — Sharpton called it “unacceptable,” while Harris referred to it as a “modern-day lynching.”
And when the tables began to turn on Smollett, Sharpton again spoke out — this time calling for “accountability to the maximum.” Harris, in turn, told reporters that she would wait to see how the facts would play out. (RELATED: ‘Accountability To The Maximum’: Al Sharpton Flips On Jussie Smollett)
But as Tucker Carlson noted on his show Monday, Sharpton has been around the “hate crime hoax” block more than once.
- Tawana Brawley: the alleged brutal and racially-motivated rape was brought to media attention by Sharpton — but after a year of investigations was determined to be a lie. Sharpton was ordered to pay damages to men falsely accused of attacking her.
- Duke Lacrosse: Sharpton argued during an interview with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly that the alleged Duke lacrosse rape case was racially motivated and should be treated as such. But an investigation determined that it hadn’t actually happened and that the players had been falsely accused. Over a year later, “The View” host Whoopi Goldberg asked Sharpton to apologize for perpetuating the false narrative.
- Michael Brown: Within days of Michael Brown’s death, Sharpton was on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri. He stood with activists as they shouted, “Hands up, don’t shoot!” and claimed that Brown, who was unarmed at the time, was shot in the back by white police officer Darren Wilson. Evidence backed the officer’s story, however, that Brown instigated the confrontation and was charging the officer at the time of the shooting.
Smollett turned himself in early Thursday morning and was arrested and charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false report. He was released on $100,000 bail Thursday afternoon.