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A new day brings another new twist in the Jussie Smollett hate crime investigation.
The Nigerian brothers who police claim helped orchestrate the “attack” last month in Chicago reportedly made homophobic statements on Twitter that some believe could be used in the singer’s defense.
As reported by The Daily Mail, tweets from an account used by brothers Ola Osundairo, and Abel Osundairo surfaced on Monday with Ola writing to a man in 2013: “Why you following Frank Ocean … you know that ni**a gay right,” according to The Blast.
Another tweet read: “YOU’RE GAY THATS WHO YOU ARE.” It’s unclear who Ola was referring to in that tweet, the report states.
Smollett’s defense team may be able to use these posts to support the Empire star’s claim that he was attacked by two masked men who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him and tied a rope around his neck.
The offensive tweets contradict statements the brothers previously made publicly after being interrogated by the police.
“We are not racist. We are not homophobic, and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens,” they said in a joint statement.
Smollett charged with filing a false police report of a hate crime. Smollett, who had to surrender his passport, is free to travel only to New York and California to meet with his legal team, Page Six reports.
Meanwhile, Chicago police chief Eddie Johnson claims the singer paid the brothers $3500 to participate in the elaborate hoax because he was upset with his Empire salary.
Chief Johnson went on GMA yesterday to elaborate on the investigation and defend its notoriously brutal police force.
FULL @ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Chicago police Superintendent speaks with @RobinRoberts about the Jussie Smollett investigation. https://t.co/G4P92ohuFL pic.twitter.com/QnpgfJ4FQh
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 25, 2019
“Let me tell, you, Robin, there’s a lot more evidence that hasn’t been presented yet, and does not support the version he gave,” Johnson told Robin Roberts. “There’s still a lot of physical evidence, video evidence and testimony that just simply does not support his version of what happened.”
Smollett’s lawyers released a statement after the Empire star was charged: “Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked. Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”