jussie smollett donald trump

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The Jussie Smollett-Trump collusion discourse is a condescending Wonka meme come to life

Everything is a way to score political points now.

 

David Covucci

Tech

Posted on Mar 26, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 4:15 pm CDT

Authorities in Chicago announced on Tuesday they were dismissing charges against Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor who had previously been arrested for faking a hate crime.

Two days earlier, Attorney General William Barr issued a summary of Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 election, in which he said President Donald Trump’s campaign did not collude with Russia to win.

What do those things have to do with each other? Well, nothing, except that in the hyperconnected media consumption environment known as Twitter dot com, every moment becomes a flashpoint for partisan discourse.

Conservatives never believed Smollett was the victim of a hate crime. When he was charged, they cheered. But now that he’s no longer going to be prosecuted, they are pissed. They believe he’s still likely guilty of the crime despite prosecutors deciding not to pursue charges.

Bryon York, who tweeted that Smollett getting off was a “whitewash,” has been one of the leading columnists disputing the Trump-Russia collusion narrative in the Washington Examiner.

He’s bothered that a government official declared the case unprosecutable.

You see where this is going.

If it reminds you of a certain annoying, pedantic meme that everyone hates come to life—well, that’s because it basically is.

In Body Image

Anyway, the two things are completely unrelated and neither decision not to prosecute are definitive proof of anyone’s innocence or guilt. But where’s the fun in having that reasoned dialogue?

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*First Published: Mar 26, 2019, 3:47 pm CDT