Rep. Maxine Waters said Saturday that it was the “correct thing” for Chicago prosecutors to drop all 16 felony charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett for allegedly concocting a race hoax.
“It’s the correct thing that the charges were dropped,” Waters said backstage at the 50th Annual NAACP Awards. “First of all, we probably will never know all of the details. We’ve heard a lot of information. No one was hurt — that is, physically, killed, shot — he never committed a crime before, he forfeited the bail and it’s this kind of situation where they close the case all over the country every day. I have learned this isn’t unusual.”
The scandal received “a lot of attention because of who he is,” Waters added. “I’m hopeful that he will go on with his career and be successful.”