.@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery.



This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate. — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 29, 2019

Kamala Harris starts stammering when asked about her tweet in which she asserted Jussie Smollett incident was a "modern day lynching". pic.twitter.com/R9Te5SZf1t — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) February 19, 2019

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) ignores multiple reporters asking her about the Jussie Smollett case



When the story first broke, Harris immediately jumped on it, calling it an "attempted modern-day lynching" pic.twitter.com/KUiOEILtog — Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) February 21, 2019

"Booker cited the recent reported attack in Chicago against actor Jussie Smollett of Empire fame and said that "lynching is not a relic of the past." https://t.co/HyylGEjNxF — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) February 19, 2019

Like most of you, I've seen the reports about Jussie Smollett, and I'm sad, frustrated, and disappointed. When anyone makes false claims to police, it not only diverts resources away from serious investigations but it makes it more difficult for other victims of crime to come forward. At the same time, we must speak the truth: hate crimes are on the rise in America. Just last year, the FBI released statistics that revealed a 17 percent increase in the number of hate crimes in America. Part of the tragedy of this situation is that it distracts from that truth, and has been seized by some who would like to dismiss and downplay the very real problems that we must address. We should not allow that. I will always condemn racism and homophobia. We must always confront hate directly, and we must always seek justice. That is what I will keep fighting for.