Source: Amanda Prestigiacomo
“Empire” star Jussie Smollett reportedly handed over “limited and redacted” phone records to the Chicago Police Department on Monday, 13 days after Smollett was allegedly the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime carried out by supporters of President Donald Trump in downtown Chicago.
“Phone records from Jussie’s manager were sent to police on Feb. 5 and Jussie’s records were sent over this morning. Both were sent to Chief of Staff to the Superintendent of Police Robert Boik, who confirmed receipt,” a spokesperson for Smollett told the New York Post in an email on Monday.
“They have Jussie’s records from within an hour of the incident. The police confirmed receipt of the records at [2:28 p.m. EST],” the spokesperson added.
According to Fox 32 Chicago’s Rafer Weigel, the records were “limited and redacted.”
The Chicago Police Department “received cell phone records today from Smollett’s camp. They were limited and redacted but detectives will analyze them and be in touch with [Jussie Smollett] if they have any other questions,” Weigel wrote in a tweet on Monday evening.
The police department asked Smollett and his manger Brandon Z. Moore to hand over their phone records to corroborate the very serious alleged attack. The actor said he was on the phone with Moore at the time of the ambush.
Smollett delayed handing over his phone records when police requested them, telling officers “he couldn’t be without his phone for several hours,” reported the Post.
“We have no reason to doubt the statements, but for a criminal investigation, we need to independently confirm the phone records,” said Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
Both Smollett and Moore claim the alleged attackers screamed about Smollett being in “MAGA country” — a reference to President Trump’s campaign slogan “Make American Great Again” — and called the actor a “n*****” and “f*****.”
Smollett was allegedly attacked by two men around 2:30 a.m. when he was walking home from a Subway shop on January 29. Along with allegedly throwing racial and homophobic slurs at Smollett, the men — one in a black mask — allegedly tied a rope around the actor’s neck and doused him in a liquid, which was possibly bleach.
“Chicago PD has repeatedly informed us that they find Jussie’s account of what happened that night consistent and credible,” a statement from the star’s rep said. “Superintendent Johnson has been clear from day one that Jussie is a victim. We are continuing to work closely with the Chicago PD and remain confident that they will find Jussie’s attackers and bring them to justice.”
As noted by The Daily Wire’s Emily Zanotti, Chicago police have confirmed that Smollett walked “several blocks to and from a Subway sandwich shop that evening.” However, the actor “was on camera for all but about 60 seconds of his trip, during which Smollett reports the attack took place.”
“Although two individuals were pictured on security cameras near where Smollett says he was attacked, sources close to CPD told local media that those two individuals appear to be homeless and were in the vicinity between 15 and 30 minutes before Smollett arrived back at his apartment on East Water Street, just north of the Chicago River,” noted Zanotti. “Chicago Police also reportedly dismissed a neighbor’s claim that a ‘redneck’-looking man was loitering behind Smollett’s apartment building, according to Chicago crime watch blog, CWB Chicago.”
On Tuesday, Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson said Smollett was still being treated as a “victim,” but noted that the actor would be held accountable if the report were to turn out to be false, reported Weigel.
