It brings me zero joy and maximum anger to have seen this one coming. A month ago, I predicted that Jussie Smollett, the apparent fabulist who upended the legal system by gleefully crying “MAGA,’’ would skate.

On Tuesday, he did just that. This is one time that being right truly hurts. In a deal so secretive it stunned and angered Chicago’s mayor and police chief — and anyone else who cares about truth and justice — prosecutors on Tuesday dropped all charges against the gay, black “Empire’’ actor who told anyone who would listen that he was the helpless target of two racist, homophobic, Trump-loving goons.

That the attack likely was cooked up in Smollett’s demented mind matters not a whit to the man and his minions. What’s important is that Smollett laid claim to feeling marginalized, victimized, brutalized, agonized in the Age of Trump. That such a cynical plot could have been cooked up, as has been alleged, for Smollett to get a pay raise, seems the height of audacity.

The damage is enormous. In an instant, Smollett transformed from a dirty liar into a teller of uncomfortable truths, and from a villain into a kind of progressive darling, a man to be excused, hugged, honored. As the criminal case against him vanishes, he gets bragging rights to lay claim to being the recipient of an actual assault — maybe not the genuine kind, but one of the psychological variety.

It was too easy to get foes of President Trump to eat up Smollett’s every word. They ran with this truth — or rather, truthiness — because it confirmed everything they wanted to believe: that the president is somehow responsible for all prejudice and intolerance. This may be why Smollett so smugly celebrated his exoneration.

“No one will ever know how much that has meant to me and I will forever be grateful. I want you to know that not for a moment was it in vain,’’ he said, flanked by family and assorted enablers.

“I’ve been truthful and consistent on every level since day one. I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I was accused of.”

Of course, he did not address the elephant in the room: If he was so truthful, why did he agree to forfeit his $10,000 bond to the city of Chicago? I believe a man without fault would fight like a lion to get the money back, and perhaps sue for quite a bit more. He clearly wants this all to go away, and quickly. Smollett has a lot to answer for.

The people who are harmed the most by l’affaire du Jussie are anonymous folks who, because of race, religion or sexuality, become real victims of hate crimes. These are people Smollett should be working to protect. One faker will have a chilling effect. Who will believe victims of bashing now?