We all remember the infamous Jussie Smollett scandal. In 2019, the Empire actor was found guilty of disorderly conduct after lying about being the victim of a hate crime. The five-year anniversary of the incident is just a few days away, but that's not why he's trending.
(Here's a hint: This involves Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and is just plain ridiculous).
Currently appearing on CNN, a California congresswoman responded to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's assertion that racism is not a big problem in the United States. As part of the response, Lee, who has been a member of Congress for decades, detailed his encounters with racists at the Capitol.
“I was walking from the House building on Capitol Hill to the Capitol when a white man told me he couldn't get into the members' elevator,” she said. “And we had pins and I tried to vote and he blocked me from getting into the elevator and said I wasn't a congressman.”
Ms Lee said she tried to correct him, but he then accused her of theft. “I showed him the pin and said, 'Sir, I'm a member of Congress,'” Lee said. “And he said, 'Whose pin did you steal?'
As Lee continued to talk about her experience on the Hill, CNN anchor Caitlin Collins looked shocked at her final revelation. “This is an example of what personal racism is and how people of color have to deal with this every day,” Lee said.
While many people were understandably horrified that a lawmaker who had served since the 1990s would be treated in this way, conservative trolls took advantage of the opportunity to attack Rep. Lee. committed harassment.
“Jussie Smollett??” posted “Silent Majority” to X. “There is definitely a surveillance camera in that elevator, pull the video and decide if it's fact or fiction!” If it's true, fire the person who made that statement, and if not, fire this representative. ! ”
Other similar accounts were compared as well.
But some people came to Mr. Lee's defense, saying that whenever black people talk about racism, they bring up Mr. Smollett.
“Five years ago, an actor made something up for publicity. This somehow means that all black people who talk about racism are forever lying,” a social media user wrote. “If you believe the Jussie Smollett incident has anything to do with Barbara Lee, you are actually a racist.”
“Krisi” also said that the California congressman is a 25-year veteran; There have been no false claims in the past. — Not a young Hollywood actor. (As a side note, this is also a less extreme accusation than the hate crime allegations).
Congressman Lee has not responded to any tweets comparing him to Mr. Smollett.
