Candace Owens blasts Jussie Smollett for lying as actor takes the stand in Chicago courtroom
'Candace' host discusses revelations at trial as former 'Empire' actor is accused of staging a hate crime against himself on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight'
Candace Owens said Jussie Smollett, who is accused of falsely telling police he was a victim of a hate crime, is "not a sane person" on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Monday.
"I mean, honestly, … his defense should have actually pleaded insanity – and I would have bought it," Owens told Tucker Carlson. "When you listen to the story and … follow every element … Jussie Smollett is not a sane person."
The former "Empire" actor faces six felony counts of disorderly conduct related to allegedly making a false report to police about a hate crime attack, according to prosecutors.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 24: Actor Jussie Smollett leaves Leighton Criminal Courthouse on February 24, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. Smollett pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct in a new criminal case connected to allegations he staged a hate crime on himself. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images) (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
In January 2019, Smollett told law enforcement that he was attacked by people in the wee hours of the night who yelled "This is MAGA country," a reference to former President Donald Trump's campaign slogan.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT 'A REAL VICTIM' OF ATTACK IN CHICAGO, LAWYER ARGUES
His family released a statement shortly after saying they believed the attack to be motivated by racism and homophobia. "[O]ur beloved son and brother … was the victim of a violent and unprovoked attack … this was a racial and homophobic hate crime … Jussie has told the police everything from the very beginning. His story has never changed, and we are hopeful they will find these men and bring them to justice," they said.
Abimbola 'Abel' Osundairo, one of the brothers connected to the alleged staged hate crime involving Jussie Smollett, and his attorney Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez walk through the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Dec. 1, 2021. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The actor, 39, denied the allegations from prosecutors on the stand Monday and said "There was no hate crime hoax from my standpoint."
"Nobody believes this," Owens said about Smollett's defense at trial. "Nobody believes this but Jussie and the people that want him to get off. His solution is, I told, a really big lie – so I'm just going to tell an even bigger lie to try to get away with it."
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Chicago police found two persons of interest in their investigation – Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo. The brothers testified in court previously that Smollett allegedly paid them $3,500 to stage a hate crime.
Smollett denied the accusation and said he gave them the check for health and fitness advice, according to The Associated Press.
FILE - Brothers Olabinjo Osundairo, right, and Abimbola Osundairo, appear outside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago, Feb. 24, 2020. The trial of actor Jussie Smollett will boil down to the question of whether the jury believes the actor's version of what he says was a racist and homophobic attack or that told by the two brothers who say they helped the actor fake the attack. Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo admit they took part in the "attack" that made headlines around the world but say Smollett planned the whole thing and paid them to do it. The trial starts with jury selection Monday, Nov 29, 2021 and is expected to last a week. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file) (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file)
"Just imagine if the races were reversed," Owens said. "Imagine if [someone who is White] pretended that two Black men had attacked them. What would the media be saying right now? What would be the charges? What would be the demands right now? This is incredibly racist … [and] meant to cause racial division in this country. At the end of the day, he's going to get a light tap on the wrist if he even gets that."