5 House Democrats took $60,000 trip to South Africa for Beyoncé concert

Beyoncé Knowles performs during the 79th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Feb. 25, 2007. (Associated Press)

U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York

Barbara Lee of California

Bobby Rush of Illinois

Terri Sewell of Alabama

Hank Johnson of Georgia

Five members of the Congressional Black Caucus took a $60,000 trip to see Beyoncé and other stars perform in concert in South Africa late last year, according to congressional disclosure records.
The lawmakers were U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, Barbara Lee of California, Bobby Rush of Illinois, Terri Sewell of Alabama and Hank Johnson of Georgia, according to the data.
They attended the “Global Citizen Mandela 100” concert from Dec. 1-3 to celebrate the centenary birth of the late Nelson Mandela and raise awareness of global poverty. In addition to Beyoncé, other musical acts included her husband Jay Z, Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams and Chris Martin.
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The lawmakers appeared in a photo that the Rev. Al Sharpton, who also attended the event, posted on his Twitter page.
The trip was paid for by Global Citizen, a nonprofit that lobbies for anti-poverty programs around the world, the Washington Examiner reported. The group said the presence of members of Congress at the concert would “showcase America’s ongoing commitment [to] health equality and global human rights.”
NEW FOOTAGE SHOWS DEMS AT SWANKY 'COCKTAIL RECEPTION' IN PUERTO RICO AMID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Other celebrities at the event included Oprah Winfrey and “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah.
“In the spirit of Nelson Mandela, we pledge to keep working with our colleagues in Congress, across the country and across the aisle, to make sure that every child in Africa and at home has the opportunity to thrive and grow in a safe and prosperous world,” Meeks said, according to the Examiner.
“As a Sr. member of the Foreign Affairs Comm[ittee] who understands the importance of both multilateral & bilateral relations on trade & foreign policy, developing that relationship is crucial,” Meeks said when asked how the trip was related to his congressional duties.
CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS TRAVELED TO HAWAII WITH UTILITY EXECUTIVES AS WILDFIRES RAGED
The National Legal and Policy Center, a watchdog group, called the trip a “mockery.”
"These members of Congress that were given an all-expense paid vacation to party with Oprah, Jay Z, and Beyoncé in South Africa are claiming with a straight face this was needed to help poor children around the world live better lives," Tom Anderson, president of the NLPC's Government Integrity Project, told Examiner. "This was in fact, a mockery of House ethics rules on gifts and travel, the truly poor, and all Americans that expect members of Congress to live not only by the letter of the law but by the spirit and intentions of the rules of the House of Representatives."

"These members of Congress that were given an all-expense paid vacation to party with Oprah, Jay Z, and Beyoncé in South Africa are claiming with a straight face this was needed to help poor children around the world live better lives."
— Tom Anderson, president, National Legal and Policy Center's Government Integrity Project

A representative for Sewell said her travel "was pre-approved by the House Ethics Committee and was not paid for at taxpayer expense" and that "Rep. Sewell and several other members attended the Global Citizen Mandela 100 Festival, a platform for world leaders to speak out against racial injustice and inequity, and voice their support for international assistance for underprivileged populations."
According to the travel itinerary, the congressional members were in South Africa for one full day and used two partial days for travel.
In January, a group of Democrats was criticized for flying to Puerto Rico for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC gathering in San Juan, where they also attended a special performance of the Broadway play "Hamilton."

Warren talks reparations, child care, early education during New Hampshire campaign stop

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks in Washington, Aug. 21, 2018. (Reuters)

The Democrats put this so called American Indian into office, but a lie will catch up with you sooner or later!

 

 

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks in Washington, Aug. 21, 2018. (Reuters)

MANCHESTER, N.H. – – Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren highlighted her new universal child care plan and explained her support for reparations for black Americans affected by slavery as she campaigned Friday night in the state that holds the first primary in the race for the White House.
Taking questions from reporters after headlining the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club fundraising gala, Warren pointed to the country’s “ugly history of racism” as she explained her support for the proposal.
HARRIS, WARREN, EMBRACE REPARATIONS
“We need to confront it head-on and we need to talk about the right away to address it and make change,” Warren added.
The idea of reparations for black Americans affected by slavery is also backed by at least two other Democratic presidential candidates – Sen. Kamala Harris of California and former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who served as housing secretary under President Barack Obama.
The push by some Democratic White House hopefuls points to the further importance of race and identity issues within the party. While supporters say reparations are needed to address slavery and other racist aspects of American history, some critics say such a move could cost several trillion dollars.
Asked whether she would include Native Americans in her support for reparations, Warren answered “I think it’s a part of the conversation. It’s an important part of the conversation.”
The senator has long faced criticism over her claims of Native American heritage, and recently apologized to the Cherokee Nation for last autumn’s release of DNA results in a bid to prove she had Native American ancestry dating back at least six generations.
Warren used her much of her address to more than 900 Democratic officials, federal, state and local lawmakers, rainmakers, and party activists in New Hampshire to showcase her new universal child care and early education proposal.
“We’re the richest country in the history of the planet. Access to high-quality care and education during the first five years of a child’s life shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for the rich,” she said to a standing ovation, one of around 10 that she received during her address.
Warren emphasized that “high-quality child care should be a right for every child in America.”
The senator touted that her plan “would provide high-quality care and education for free for millions of families and at low cost for everyone else.”
Warren claimed that she could pay for her plan “without raising taxes one thin dime for working families.”
She said revenues from the ultra-millioanires tax that she recently proposed would “cover the cost of this universal child care and early education plan.”
“Asking the 75,000 wealthiest families in this country to pay a little more would cover the cost of providing affordable and high-quality child care and early education options to every child in our country,” she added.
The Republican National Committee targeted Warren's proposal.
“Whether it’s government-run health care, taxpayer-funded jobs for all, or universal daycare, nothing is free and ultimately these proposals do nothing but raise taxes and expand big government. The financial burden always falls on the taxpayer,” RNC spokeswoman Mandi Merritt said.

"Ultimately these proposals do nothing but raise taxes and expand big government."
— Mandi Merritt, spokeswoman, Republican National Committee

But that kind of criticism doesn't fly with Manchester, N.H., Bergen Ambrose, who said as she waited in line after the speech to take a selfie with the senator that “I’m sold on Elizabeth Warren.”
Ambrose, who recently moved to the state from Massachusetts, said the controversy over Warren’s claims of Native American heritage didn’t trouble her.
“That is nothing in comparison to the scandals that we’ve seen on the Republican side” she explained. “I feel like she is the voice of the people.”
But Granite State native and Derry, N.H., resident Alyssa Wadlin is undecided at this early point in the campaign.
“I’m definitely excited about Elizabeth Warren. I’m excited about Kamala Harris, too. Those are my two front-runners,” she explained. “Elizabeth answered a lot of things that I wanted to hear from her tonight.”
Wadlin said beating President Trump in the general election was the most important factor in her decision.
“I wanted to see tonight that we have a candidate that can speak to all of America. It’s easy to be a Democrat from Massachusetts. I wanted to see that a Democrat from Massachusetts can speak to the rest of the country,” she said.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigned Friday night in New Hampshire. (Paul Steinhauser / Fox News)

Friday night’s speech kicked off a two-day swing by Warren through the Granite State. It’s her fourth visit to New Hampshire since launching her campaign Dec. 31. Many political observers consider New Hampshire a "must win" state for a presidential candidate from neighboring Massachusetts. Bay State White House contenders have a long history of winning the first-in-the-nation primary. Think most recently of Democratic Sen. John Kerry in 2004 and former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012.
But the state is also a "must win" for Sen. Bernie Sanders, who hails from neighboring Vermont. On Tuesday, the independent senator and fellow populist firebrand launched his second straight bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The night before Warren returned to New Hampshire, Sanders held a conference call with many of his top Granite State supporters from his 2016 campaign.
A top Sanders supporter and adviser who was on the call told Fox News that the senator told them that “New Hampshire’s extremely important and he made that point very clearly, how important it is for all of us to work as hard if not harder than we did last time and win again.”
The supporter, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more broadly, said that most of the leading Sanders supporters in New Hampshire are “all with him again.”

Andy Puzder: As Venezuela is devastated by Maduro, Trump is forcefully confronting the evils of socialism

With his stirring repudiation of socialism, both at home and abroad, President Trump is proving himself to be the very champion of liberty and freedom the world needs.
While previous U.S. leaders have opposed totalitarian regimes, no American president since Ronald Reagan has confronted the evils of socialism as forcefully as Trump is doing today by supporting the people of Venezuela as they retake their country from the corrupt socialist dictatorship of disputed president Nicolas Maduro.
President Trump deserves more credit than he is getting for taking this stance against an economic system that throughout its history has created nothing but poverty, despair and want – all managed by totalitarian elites.
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“I ask every member of the Maduro regime: End this nightmare of poverty, hunger, and death,” President Trump wrote in a recent tweet. “LET YOUR PEOPLE GO. Set your country free!”
“Now is the time for all Venezuelan Patriots to act together, as one united people,” he continued. “Nothing could be better for the future of Venezuela!”
Indeed, socialism has crippled Venezuela’s once-thriving economy, impoverishing the populace to the point that people are literally starving in the streets. As recently as 2001, Venezuela was the richest country in South America. It sits on an ocean of oil, the world’s largest proven reserves.
Yet today, its people are eating their pets and feeding their children from garbage bins, all as Maduro blocks humanitarian aid shipments intended to alleviate his people’s suffering. On Friday, a woman was killed and a dozen were injured in a deadly clash near the Brazilian border that Maduro has ordered shut.
Young Americans should understand that, contrary to what they’re being told, that is the benevolence of socialism.
Despite this horrifying example of socialism’s destructive impact, socialist ideas are becoming increasingly popular among Democratic politicians right here in America.
Democratic lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are actively promoting the sort of policies – from punitive tax rates to government control of huge portions of the economy – that have inflicted immeasurable suffering and led to the downfall of socialist governments around the world for over a century.
The “Green New Deal” alone harkens back to the five-year plans of the totalitarian socialist regimes of the former Soviet Union. To achieve its ends would require a government of immense power, not unlike Venezuela’s, but very different from the limited government our Constitution contemplates. It actually proposes what amounts to a government takeover of massive sectors of our economy including health care, transportation and energy.
We can see the results of government elites rather than free markets controlling the economy in this manner 1,300 miles south of Miami – in Venezuela.
Of course, these radical Democrats in Washington are outraged by President Trump’s tough approach to the Maduro regime, fearing that voters will see the parallels between Venezuelan socialism and the homegrown variety being pushed by the far left. Some Democrats are even claiming that the White House is backing a “coup” in the country as a way to detract from the president’s powerful message of freedom.
“A U.S. backed coup in Venezuela is not a solution to the dire issues they face,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said in a recent tweet. “Trump’s efforts to install a far right opposition will only incite violence and further destabilize the region.”
Of course, the president has never actually suggested staging a coup to oust Maduro; in fact, he’s focused his diplomatic efforts on supporting Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who became the country’s legitimate leader after Maduro blatantly rigged his re-election.
Sadly, pro-socialist Democrats have to resort to such obfuscation because the tragedy in Venezuela offers a poignant preview of what they have in store for America if they gain control of the White House.
“Years of socialist rule have brought this once thriving nation to the brink of ruin,” President Trump said during a recent speech in Miami. “Socialism by its very nature does not respect borders. It does not respect the boundaries or the sovereign rights of its citizens or its neighbors. It’s always seeking to expand, to encroach and subjugate others to its will.” President Reagan could not have said it better.
It’s worth noting that standing up to the Maduro regime is not just a moral imperative – it’s also the most prudent geopolitical move that President Trump could make in South America.
Since it was first taken over by the socialist dictatorship of Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela has cultivated close ties with Russia, giving one of America’s foremost rivals a foothold right in our own backyard. Just two months ago, two nuclear-capable TU-160 supersonic Russian bombers flew all the way to Venezuela just to signal support for Maduro’s regime.
The longer Maduro stays in power with backing from the Kremlin, the longer Venezuela will remain an oppressive socialist country that starves and brutalizes its own citizens while seeking to undermine U.S. interests at every opportunity.
Thankfully, we now have a president who will not shy away from the vital task of defending America’s fundamental values. President Trump is reminding the world that those values are directly responsible for the prosperity and influence we enjoy today.
The cause of liberty once again has a worthy champion in Donald Trump, and future generations will owe him a debt of gratitude for stopping the resurgence of socialism in its tracks.

Dianne Feinstein scolds kids who pushed her to back Green New Deal: 'I know what I'm doing'

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., arrives for a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 16, 2018. (Reuters)

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein pulled rank Friday when a group of kids tried to school her on climate change.
After the group sought her support for the Green New Deal, the 85-year-old senior senator from California let them know she wasn't about to be bossed around by a bunch of youngsters.
"You know what’s interesting about this group?," Feinstein said, in an interaction that was captured on video. "I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I know what I’m doing.
“You come in here, and you say it has to be my way or the highway. I don’t respond to that,” Feinstein continued. “I’ve gotten elected, I just ran. I was elected by almost a million-vote plurality. And I know what I’m doing. So you know, maybe people should listen a little bit.”

“You come in here, and you say it has to be my way or the highway. I don’t respond to that.”
— U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., responding to a group of children

Sunrise Movement, an organization that describes itself as wanting to “stop climate change,” shared a clip of the exchange on its Twitter page Friday.
“This is how @SenFeinstein reacted to children asking her to support the #GreenNewDeal resolution -- with smugness + disrespect. This is a fight for our generation's survival. Her reaction is why young people desperately want new leadership in Congress,” the tweet with the video said.
The video begins with the group explaining that they wanted to present a letter to Feinstein and ask her "to vote yes on the Green New Deal.” It then cuts to a shot of the group standing before the U.S. senator from California, expressing their request.
In response to their request, Feinstein informs them that “We have our own Green New Deal.” And then came the point where Feinstein drew the line.
The sides then devolve into a back-and-forth until someone reminds Feinstein that they are “the people who voted” for her and part of her job is to hear their concerns.
“How old are you?” Feinstein asks.
“I’m sixteen. I can’t vote,” the girl replies.
“Well, you didn’t vote for me,” the lawmaker retorts.
In another portion of the video, Feinstein is heard telling the kids that she’s “trying to do the best” that she can, “which was to write a responsible resolution.”
“Any plan that doesn’t take bold, transformative action is not going to be what we need,” a female in the crowd says.
Feinstein then replies: “Well, you know better than I do. So, I think one day you should run for the Senate. And then you can do it your way.”
Feinstein later addressed the exchange in a news release, confirming that she met with a group of children, young adults and parents from the Sunrise Movement who sought her backing for the resolution.
“Unfortunately, it was a brief meeting but I want the children to know they were heard loud and clear. I have been and remain committed to doing everything I can to enact real, meaningful climate change legislation,” she wrote.
“We had a spirited discussion and I presented the group with my draft resolution that provides specific responses to the climate change crisis, which I plan to introduce soon,” she continued. “I always welcome the opportunity to hear from Californians who feel passionately about this issue and it remains a top priority of mine.”
The Green New Deal is an economic stimulus concept that’s designed to tackle income inequality and climate change. The proposal calls for a job-guarantee program offering a “living wage job to every person who wants one,” a plan to aid workers affected by climate change, universal health care and basic income programs, among other items.

Clueless Millennials Cartoons

Judge rips into Roger Stone, bars him from speaking publicly on case: 'There will be no third chance'

A federal judge has completely barred former Trump political adviser Roger Stone from speaking publicly about his ongoing prosecution on obstruction and false statement charges, after a picture of the judge appeared on Stone's Instagram this week with what appeared to be crosshairs in the background.
The ruling followed a hearing on Thursday in which Stone took the stand to insist he was "heartfully sorry" for the picture, which Stone said he had reviewed prior to posting it -- although he suggested someone else had first selected the image.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson tore into Stone during the proceeding, saying she simply didn't believe his explanation that an unnamed "volunteer" was to blame.
"I have serious doubts about whether you learned anything at all," Jackson said. "From this moment on, the defendant may not speak publicly about this case -- period. No statements about the case on TV, radio, print reporters, or Internet. No posts on social media. [You] may not comment on the case through surrogates. You may send out emails about donating to the Roger Stone defense fund."
Jackson added an apparent threat to revoke Stone's bail and send him to jail: "This is not baseball. There will be no third chance. If you cannot abide by this, I will be forced to change your surroundings so you have no temptations."
Jackson had issued a limited gag order in Stone's case last week, preventing him from discussing the case near the courthouse. Stone was being questioned Thursday by Jackson and government lawyers as to why Jackson should not take action in response to the image.
On Thursday, Stone made the risky decision to take the stand, after an initial series of questions from Jackson to Stone's lawyer, Bruce Rogow.
The longtime Trump confidante walked into court wearing his signature circle framed glasses, but took them off before Jackson entered the courtroom. Stone's wife and daughter sat in the front row.
Under questioning from prosecutors and Jackson, the 66-year-old Stone -- who frequently looked directly at Jackson as he spoke -- said the image had been selected by a volunteer who was working for him, though he couldn't say who picked the photo or list the five or six volunteers who have been working for him when he was asked by prosecutors.
He said he had several photos to choose from and posted the image himself to his profile.
"You had a choice?" the judge interjected.
Stone said he picked the photo "randomly," a suggestion the judge almost immediately dismissed.
"It was an egregious mistake. I obviously wish I could do it over again, but I cannot," Stone said. "I recognize I let the court down, I let you down, I let myself down. ... It was a momentary lapse in judgment."
He has said the photo was "misinterpreted," the symbol was actually the Celtic cross, not crosshairs of a gun, and he was not trying to threaten the judge. But, he added, he wasn't sure what the symbol meant, because "I’m not into the occult."

Former campaign adviser for President Donald Trump, Roger Stone walks out of the federal courthouse following a hearing, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Stone was arrested Friday in the special counsel's Russia investigation and was charged with lying to Congress and obstructing the probe. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Associated Press)

At one point during Thursday's hearing, Rogow called the post that featured Jackson's image "indefensible." Jackson replied: "I agree with you there."
"I am under enormous pressure," Stone testified. "I now have TV people saying I will be raped if I go to jail. I'm having trouble putting food on the table and paying the rent." (Indeed, CNN senior political analyst David Gergen pondered on air Monday if Stone -- whom he called a "dandy" -- would be raped in prison.)
Stone deleted the Instagram photo shortly after posting it, but later posted the same one again, this time without the apparent crosshairs.
In court, Stone said he "didn’t recognize it as a crosshair" and "didn't notice" a crosshair in the image.
"This was a screwup," Stone said. "I admit it."
Jackson reminded Stone before his testimony that he would be subject to government cross-examination and was under oath. Asked whether he understood the picture could be construed as a threat, Stone replied: "I now recognize that. … I can’t rationalize my thinking because I wasn’t thinking, and that’s my fault."
"I am kicking myself for my own stupidity, but not more than my wife is kicking me," Stone later told Jackson. He added that "my consulting business has dried up" and said, "I've exhausted my savings."

"This is not baseball. There will be no third chance."
— U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson

Stone has pleaded not guilty to charges he lied to Congress, engaged in witness tampering and obstructed a congressional investigation into possible coordination between Russia and President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The charges stem from conversations he had during the campaign about WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that released material stolen from Democratic groups, including Hillary Clinton's campaign.
The political operative and self-described dirty trickster is the sixth Trump aide or adviser charged in Mueller's investigation. He was arrested last month and has remained free on a $250,000 personal recognizance bond. Stone has maintained his innocence and blasted the special counsel's investigation as politically motivated.

Dem 2020 hopefuls Harris, Warren say they embrace idea of reparations for black Americans: report

Dumb & Dumber

 All the Democrats want to do is spend, spend, spend your money !

Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, left, and Kamala Harris of California have reportedly said they back reparations for black Americans affected by the legacy of slavery. (Associated Press)

Two leading Democratic presidential candidates -- U.S. Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts -- have reportedly said they support reparations for black Americans affected by slavery, reflecting a shift in the importance of race and identity issues within the party.
The New York Times reported Thursday that Harris doubled down on her support for reparations after agreeing with a host on the popular radio show “The Breakfast Club” that the race-conscious policy was necessary to address the legacies of slavery and discrimination in the United States.
"We have to be honest that people in this country do not start from the same place or have access to the same opportunities," Harris said in the statement to the Times. "I’m serious about taking an approach that would change policies and structures and make real investments in black communities."
Warren also supports reparations.
“We must confront the dark history of slavery and government-sanctioned discrimination in this country that has had many consequences, including undermining the ability of black families to build wealth in America for generations,” she told the Times. “We need systemic, structural changes to address that.”

"We must confront the dark history of slavery and government-sanctioned discrimination in this country that has had many consequences."
— U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Julian Castro, another Democrat running for president, has indicated that he would support reparations.
Fox News reached out to all three campaigns but did not immediately hear back late Thursday.
Reparations would involve the federal government’s acknowledgment of the ongoing legacy of slavery and discrimination and providing payment to those affected. Policy experts say it could cost several trillion dollars.
Scholars estimate that black families earn just over $57 for every $100 earned by white families, according to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who is also running for president, has proposed helping poor children by giving them government-funded savings accounts that could hold up to $50,000 for the lowest income brackets, the Times reported. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., supports a plan to allow Americans without checking accounts bank at their local post office.
Other prominent Democrats have stopped short of backing reparations, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who dismissed the idea in 2016. Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama have also expressed reservations.
Supporting reparations could come with much political risk. Republicans have long attempted to paint Democrats who support policies aimed at correcting racial inequalities as anti-white, according to the Times, and polling shows reparations for black Americans remains unpopular.

How some in the media embraced Jussie Smollett's discredited tale

The Chicago police superintendent made no effort to hide his fury as he denounced Jussie Smollett for "despicable" conduct in falsely claiming to be the victim of a racist and homophobic assault.
He also had a few choice words for the media for overplaying the melodrama.
"I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention," Eddie Johnson said.
It still seems incredible that a star of the Fox show "Empire" would blow up his career and traumatize his city for what the cops say was an effort to force his bosses to give him a raise. And it left his defenders scrambling for something to say.
Johnson was extremely forceful at a televised news conference, saying he had to divert precious resources to investigate what was billed as a hate crime and turned out to be a hateful hoax.
"Why would anyone — especially an African-American man — use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?" Johnson asked. "How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile?"
And it was a hoax with a political twist since Smollett claimed his faux attackers — two Nigerian brothers he had hired — had shouted that this is "MAGA country." This fueled a corrosive narrative, which some journalists and commentators were way too quick to believe, that Trump supporters were roaming the streets with a rope, looking to beat up a prominent gay black man.
Indeed, the president, who once called the supposed attack "horrible," tweeted about the smearing of his Make America Great Again followers. "What about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!?"
So many things didn't smell right from the beginning. But journalists had little choice but to report the chilling charges being made by a television actor, especially with Chicago police saying they were seriously investigating the matter as a possible hate crime.
Most news organizations, in my view, acted with restraint in attributing the allegations to Smollett — and comments to the cops — after TMZ broke the story. And as red flags emerged — such as why Smollett delayed in calling the police and was reluctant to turn over his phone — those were reported as well.
But some journalists and pundits were quick to use the supposed incident to score political points.
Washington Post Global Opinion Editor Karen Attiah tweeted:
"Regarding the heinous attack on @JussieSmollett, yet another reminder that  Trump’s ascendance and the resulting climate of hate has meant that lives have been increasingly at stake since 2015."
DAN GAINOR: SMOLLETT GOT LOTS OF OXYGEN FROM CNN, OTHER NEWS OUTLETS -- NO WONDER PEOPLE DON'T TRUST THE PRESS
Buzzfeed writer Kevin Fallon tweeted: "Anyone who thinks supporting You Know Who isn't tantamount to providing artillery for weaponized bigotry needs to take a hard look in the mirror."
Fallon did do a followup post: "I deleted previous inaccurate tweets as more reports about Jussie Smollett come out. What a despicable act if updates are true: exploiting & amplifying the hate, division, & politicization; abusing media & police resources; and making it all the harder for victims to report."
Don Lemon said he called Smollett every day to see how he was doing. And the CNN host didn't exactly condemn him.
"If Jussie's story isn't true," he told viewers, "he squandered the goodwill of a whole lot of people. He even lied to a lot of people if it's not true, including me, and that's not cool."
Not cool doesn't begin to describe it.
What's also not cool are the journalists who not only rushed to judgment but rushed to use the supposed beating against Trump. In fact, there's been a whole lot of rushing to judgment lately, and precious little in the way of soul-searching.
Eddie Johnson called on Jussie Smollett to apologize. Some in the media should take that advice as well.