As the Jussie Smollett “hate crime” attack continues to unravel, attention is beginning to focus on what the Chicago police removed from Smollett’s apartment during a search of the premises.
In addition to bleach and a “red hat,” there was one curious entry noticed by Second City Cop.
Because if Crimesha doesn’t have a confession, the case is going nowhere. But was we hinted yesterday, it might be out of Crimesha’s hands shortly. Numerous readers sent us the Search Warrant receipt that had been circulating around Twitter, Facebook and (again) the CWB blog that has done incredible amounts of reporting:
Stamps. Bleach. Proof of residence. But right on Line One is what interests us….or rather, what might finally bring the whole mess to the FBI:
- Magazine on bird cage
The warrant already lists Proof of Residency farther down the receipt. Why seize a magazine? Is this the magazine that might have all the letters cut out of it for the mail threat that was sent from a south side post office to the studio about a month ago? It’s hard to believe that someone would keep that around afterwards, but everyone knows the feds take a very dim view of using the Post Office for anything illegal.
Smollett also addressed a threatening letter that was sent to Fox studios in Chicago before the attack, which the F.B.I. has taken the lead on investigating. The actor said that he thought the incident and the letter were connected and that the return address on the letter said “MAGA.”
“On the letter, it had a stick figure hanging from a tree with a gun pointing toward it with the words that says, Smollett Jussie, you will die,” Smollett said, adding that there was a racial slur.
The return address was “in big red caps,” Smollett said. “Did I make that up, too?”
It’s very possible he did.
The FBI had already been investigating the threatening letter sent to Smollett last month. Is it illegal to send a threatening letter to yourself?
Yes, it is if it’s used to perpetrate another crime. Filing a false police report and lying to the FBI are both criminal acts. And using the U.S. mail to facilitate those criminal acts leaves Smollett wide open to prosecution.
Would the Feds send Trump officials like Manafort to jail for lying to the FBI and not Smollett? Probably. But so far, the actor is refusing to confess, relying on his allies to keep defending him as he denies everything. But the FBI rarely plays games, and if it was discovered Smollett used the mail to further his hoax, there’s a chance he will have to face charges.
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