Sunday on his MSNBC show, “PoliticsNation,” Al Sharpton called on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett to “face accountability to the maximum” if he staged a hate crime that he could blame on white President Donald Trump supporters to show they are homophobic and racist.

Sharpton pointed out his reaction to the story when it first came out when he said the perpetrators should “suffer the maximum,” saying Smollett should do the same if he created the hoax.

“I, among many others, when hearing of the report said that the reports were horrific and that we should come with all that we can come within law enforcement to find out what happened and the guilty should suffer the maximum. I still maintain that. And if it is found that Smollett and these gentlemen did in some way perpetrate something that is not true, they ought to face accountability to the maximum.”

He later added, “Let us get to the bottom of it and let justice be done no matter who is right or wrong. We cannot not get to the truth here.”

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