{"id":300519,"date":"2019-02-21T16:15:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T21:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/?p=300519"},"modified":"2019-02-22T16:52:24","modified_gmt":"2019-02-22T21:52:24","slug":"chicago-police-superintendent-takes-a-stand-for-right-and-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2019\/02\/21\/chicago-police-superintendent-takes-a-stand-for-right-and-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Police Superintendent Takes a Stand for Right and Wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, you know how I often speak about the crumbling institutions that we all seemingly used to be able to rely on when it seemed like there was social and cultural deterioration or when there was the rise of questionable illegal or immoral behavior. We always used to be able to handle and rely on institutions to be a bulwark, to provide a backstop, to prevent the backslide from continuing. And we had that today.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-300512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Chicago-Police-Sup-Eddie-Johnson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Chicago-Police-Sup-Eddie-Johnson.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Chicago-Police-Sup-Eddie-Johnson-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We saw an institution stand up and assert itself. We saw an institution, a man, actually, representing an institution stand up and call something out for exactly what it was. We saw somebody unafraid of violating politically correct speech. We saw somebody unafraid of what the media might say in reaction to his statements. We saw somebody fearless. We saw somebody totally devoted to properly categorizing what we had been exposed to for the past week for exactly what it was, without any attempt to spare anybody\u2019s feelings.<\/p>\n<p>We saw the institution of the Chicago Police Department stand up and provide the clear right and wrong of what had gone on in the Jussie Smollett case. We didn\u2019t see any equivocating. We didn\u2019t see any apologizing. We didn\u2019t hear any, \u201cPlease forgive me if what I\u2019m about to say is going to offend you.\u201d We had a man stand up and call out a person for running a hoax without any fear of recrimination.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t want to make too big a deal of this, but it doesn\u2019t happen much anymore, and it\u2019s why it stood out like crazy to me. This man called out every fake artist that bought into this scheme from the get-go while acknowledging how fairly and accurately the Chicago police did their job. The guy comes forward with a story and for 47 of 48 hours, they treated him as a victim. They treated him as telling the truth. They treated him as though they believed what he was saying, and they endeavored to uncover what had happened to him. And in the last hour of their investigation the fruits of all of their labor came forward.<\/p>\n<p>All the searching of community video, all of the interviews with witnesses. It finally came together, and they found out they\u2019d been punked. I am referring to the Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson who, to me, is an example of the kind of fortitude and courage that the times today call for. You might think, &#8220;Rush, you\u2019re making an awfully big deal.&#8221; Yes, I am making a big deal out of this because this doesn\u2019t happen enough.<\/p>\n<p>This guy called out presidential candidates for piling on here without any evidence whatsoever. He called out a bunch of people being punked and fooled by an actor. He called out the actor himself as an African-American. How dare this man sully the civil rights legacy of this country by taking advantage of it for his own desire to get more money. This is an adult, this police superintendent in Chicago is an adult. He\u2019s not a grownup child and he\u2019s not trying to be friends with the perp and he\u2019s not trying to soft sell anything.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-300502\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Smollett-Mug-Shot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Smollett-Mug-Shot.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Smollett-Mug-Shot-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>He\u2019s just a cut-and-dried: This is what happened, we looked at it every which way we could, and I am personally offended, the Chicago Police Department is personally offended. This man has wasted money, he has wasted resources, he has made fools of us, he has wasted our time.<\/p>\n<p>There was absolutely no sympathy for the perp. There was no, &#8220;Gee, we hope we find out what\u2019s bothering him so that he can get the help that he needs.&#8221; There was none of that. So let\u2019s go to the audio sound bites. You can hear what I mean. We\u2019ll start here with Eddie Johnson, audio sound bite number 4. He is the police superintendent, the equivalent of the police commissioner in New York City.<\/p>\n<p>By the way, did you notice who was not at this thing today? Where was the mayor? You talk about a photo-op, where was the mayor, Rahm Emanuel? Now, I know there\u2019s a mayoral election coming up soon. May have been a factor. Where was he? I guarantee you if the perp had been white, I think the mayor would have been there. Do you agree with me on that? I think so.<\/p>\n<p>I think if a white guy had run this hoax, you\u2019d a had the mayor and a whole lot of Chicago politicians showing up. And I might also ask, why did they allow Smollett to turn himself in with his lawyers at 5 a.m.? Where was the raid of his apartment with 19 to 26 body-armor-clad agents fully armed, and where was the media in tow to witness this predawn raid of Smollett\u2019s house? None of that happened like it happened with Roger Stone.<\/p>\n<p>Now, admittedly, this is the Chicago Police Department, and maybe they are not as corrupt as Robert Mueller\u2019s investigators. But, man, what a striking difference. They ask Smollett to show up and they allow Smollett to get there before 5 o\u2019clock in the morning when the media isn\u2019t there. They don\u2019t tell the media he\u2019s coming in at 5 o\u2019clock. They allow him his privacy. But Eddie Johnson unloaded in his press conference today. Here we go the first sound bite.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S42U7zlUZQw\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>JOHNSON: Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile? To make things worse, the accusations within this phony attack received national attention for weeks. Celebrities, news commentators, and even presidential candidates weighed in on something that was choreographed by an actor.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: As if to say, what a bunch of idiots. What a bunch of fools. You fell for something choreographed by an actor. You know how he started this press conference? He started this preference chiding the media! &#8220;I wish the real crime in this town got anywhere near the attention this event is getting.&#8221; He pointed at the media, he looked right at \u2019em and said (paraphrasing), &#8220;Where are you when real crime is happening in this town? If the real crime that we\u2019re battling in this town would get one smidgen of the attention this hoax event has gotten, then maybe we could do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He just unloaded here. He was very reasonable sounding. But, folks, we do not get this kind of adult behavior. We don\u2019t even get it in the Department of Justice. We certainly don\u2019t get it anywhere in the media. There aren\u2019t any adults left in the media. You wonder about all these reporters like what\u2019s his name, Jim Acosta, Don Lemon, or all of these irresponsible know-nothings, they have bosses. Where are the adults in the news networks who are embarrassed by what their reporters are doing?<\/p>\n<p>Where are the adults at all these networks who today ought to be livid with rage that every damn one of their reporters fell for this without first looking into it? Where are the adults in the news business during the Covington kids hoax? Where were the adults in the news business after it was discovered that the Duke lacrosse case was a hoax? There aren\u2019t any adults anymore. This is my point. There aren\u2019t any adults. All we have is partisan children! Adults who have not grown up!<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s why the police superintendent of Chicago stands out to me. I hope I\u2019m not ruining this guy\u2019s reputation by speaking for him. I can just see his office phone ring: &#8220;Hey, hey, superintendent, Rush Limbaugh\u2019s praising you.&#8221; The superintendent, \u201cOh, no, that\u2019s the last thing I need, aw, gee.\u201d I have supposedly ruined journalists\u2019 reputations by praising their work when it\u2019s called for.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the next bite from Eddie Johnson, superintendent of police in Chicago. We have two more. This is what they\u2019re mad about. They\u2019re worried the hate crime business is gonna take a hit. Listen to this one&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-300511\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Chicago-Police-Sup-Eddie-Johnson-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Chicago-Police-Sup-Eddie-Johnson-2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Chicago-Police-Sup-Eddie-Johnson-2-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>JOHNSON: Smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic, and political language. When that didn\u2019t work &#8212;<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Hold it! Hold it! Hold it! Stop the tape and recue that. We now have Smollett wrote the letter! He actually didn\u2019t &#8220;write&#8221; anything. Smollett got the magazine and cut the letters out of the magazine for the letter that was sent to the show. It was sent to Empire. It said, &#8220;You will die, black,&#8221; and then it is slang for &#8220;gay person,&#8221; and that was supposed to&#8230; It had a &#8220;white substance&#8221; in it. That was supposed to be anthrax, of course.<\/p>\n<p>It turned out to be ground-up aspirin, and Smollett got mad that the producers of Empire didn\u2019t take that more seriously! He wanted to set the stage where all kinds of people are really focused on and care about or hate Jussie Smollett. Here we have a classic example of a guy in social media desperate for fame, doesn\u2019t have nearly the fame that he wants and doesn\u2019t have nearly the income that he wants.<\/p>\n<p>So he stages a couple of hoaxes here trying to get paid and trying to get noticed, and he plays the media like a Stradivarius. He plays the American left like a Stradivarius. For three days, the media reported on this letter but very confusingly. They never did indicate whether the police thought that Smollett had written the letter or whether the letter was legit. Well, it turns out that Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has informed us that Smollett composed this fake letter and sent it. Here is the bite again from the top&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>JOHNSON: Smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic, and political language. When that didn\u2019t work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago\u2019s reputation through the mud in the process. And why? The stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary. So he concocted a story about being attacked. To put the national spotlight on Chicago for something that is both egregious and untrue is simply shameful. I\u2019m also concerned about what this means moving forward for hate crimes. My concern is that hate crimes will now publicly be met with a level of skepticism that previously didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Mr. Superintendent, they already are because of all the previous hoaxes that you didn\u2019t mention, starting in Ferguson, Missouri. We can then move to Baltimore and Freddie Gray. Michael Brown in Ferguson. The Duke lacrosse case. The left is nothing but phony hate crimes, phony alleged hate crimes, phony charges, made-up stories &#8212; like the &#8220;Tea Party guy&#8221; that shot up the movie theater in Denver. The left is famous for these, and it gets me off on another subject I need to circle back to.<\/p>\n<p>They know these things probably aren\u2019t true, but they want them to be, and that\u2019s why they report them as true. They think this is what America is. It\u2019s no&#8230; Look, it\u2019s just like the Rolling Stone\u2019s University of Virginia rape story. It turned out to be totally made up &#8212; absolutely, 100% made up. When the reporter is confronted, she says, &#8220;Well, it may not be true here, but it\u2019s true elsewhere, and I wanted to raise consciousness of it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>So in the mind of the American left, these crimes are happening everywhere. Even if the Smollett case isn\u2019t real, it\u2019s real elsewhere, and we must &#8220;raise consciousness.&#8221; So Mr. Superintendent, that horse is out of the barn. The left is already&#8230; This is part of the agenda, making these things up. Smollett made it up! Smollett\u2019s an anti-Trumper! He\u2019s a Never Trumper! He hates Trump! He made it up because he hates Trump! He wants more money.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-300515\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Rush-Falg-BATTLE.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Rush-Falg-BATTLE.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-022119-Rush-Falg-BATTLE-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s a typical left-wing Democrat today! By the way, he paid these guys with a check. (chuckles) The guy\u2019s an idiot in addition to everything else. He paid \u2019em with a check. I wonder what the &#8220;for&#8221; was, the note. &#8220;Payment for fake hate crime&#8221;? What did he call it on the check? It\u2019s like making a prank phone call with your caller ID on. One more sound bite from the police superintendent, Eddie Johnson. A reporter said, &#8220;When did you all figure out something didn\u2019t add up here?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>JOHNSON: Well, to be perfectly honest, from the very beginning we had some questions about it. But, as I said, we gave Mr. Smollett the benefit of the doubt all the way up until that 47th hour of the 48 hours we could hold those two individuals. Because we just didn\u2019t have the total package to support that it was a hoax. So when you heard me coming out saying, &#8220;We are treating him like a victim,&#8221; that was the truth, because at that time, that\u2019s what he was.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Well, they believed it. He believed him. The media is signing on to it. The celebrities are signing on to it. Presidential candidates are signing on to it and tweeting what a rotten place America is because of it. But now guess who\u2019s doing a mea culpa? Don Lemon, who may be the dumbest man on television &#8212; and that\u2019s a big contest. I mean, there are a lot of contestants in that race, and so it\u2019s hard to proclaim an actual, single, number one, most dumbest guy in TV.<\/p>\n<p>But now he\u2019s doing a mea culpa. (paraphrased) &#8220;Well, we knew all along that there was something fishy about this. I mean, what kind of people are hanging around a Subway shop at two in the morning when it\u2019s five degrees?&#8221; Well, Don, why didn\u2019t you say any of that when you\u2019re reporting the story? And then we learn that the two attackers are from Nigeria? They\u2019re the last people that look like Trump fans, even though these two guys may be.<\/p>\n<p>But they\u2019re African, they\u2019re African-American. They\u2019re from Nigeria. (Snort!) It proves my point when you hear some of these bites. They knew. They knew this thing may have had all kinds of holes in it, but didn\u2019t matter. Because, you see, what they all know is that the original reporting on the story is gonna get around the world and a whole lot of people are gonna believe it &#8212; in this case, days and days before the truth comes out.<\/p>\n<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: So the police superintendent, again, to repeat what he says, &#8220;I am left hanging my head asking, &#8216;Why? Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?\u2019 Bogus police reports cause real harm. They do harm to every legitimate victim who\u2019s in need of support by police and investigators as well as the citizens of the city. I\u2019m offended by what happened, and I\u2019m also angry.&#8221; It\u2019s just exactly what is called for, but what are the answers to the question?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-286360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/APP-092718-bOOKER-Kamala-Harris.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/APP-092718-bOOKER-Kamala-Harris.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/APP-092718-bOOKER-Kamala-Harris-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>&#8220;Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?&#8221; These are not hard questions to answer but you have to be able to identify people ideologically to understand it. Senator Kamala Harris: &#8220;This was an attempted modern-day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or the color of their skin. We must confront this hate.&#8221; She couldn\u2019t wait to believe this! She wanted to believe it was true. She didn\u2019t even question it.<\/p>\n<p>Cory Booker, also a Democrat running for president (one of the four candidates that the police superintendent called out, but not by name), &#8220;To those in Congress who don\u2019t feel the urgency to pass our anti-lynching bill designating lynching as a federal hate crime, I urge you to pay attention.&#8221; It\u2019s just outrageous what the left is doing to this country and the picture of this country that they\u2019re painting each and every day, the false narratives that they are establishing, many of which they know to be untrue.<\/p>\n<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: I need to replay the sound bites for you of the police superintendent in Chicago, Eddie Johnson. This man did a fantastic job today pushing back against this attempt by Jussie Smollett to create this illusion that a hate crime had been perpetrated against him by supporters of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>And I think it\u2019s important to remember that element of this, because I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s been forgotten by a lot of people, but it\u2019s being overshadowed by the news now that the two guys that did the attack are Nigerian. They\u2019re African. They\u2019re black. Would not think of them as Trump supporters. But now the whole thing has been tied into a pretty little bow here where it was a hoax.<\/p>\n<p>But the real element here that Smollett utilized was an attempt to blame this on the people that voted for Donald Trump, on that percentage of the country. And can you imagine this police chief? This case starts out, they had 100 interviews. They looked at 55 videos. They had to go get a bunch of subpoenas. It took them weeks to wind their way through this intricately woven web of deceit that this guy spins, Jussie Smollett. And the police chief admitted that they believed him for the vast majority of this investigation. They believed him. They gave him the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n<p>They used all of these resources to try to substantiate what he said. And they found out that he lied about it all. He made it all up. So now it comes time to expose this! And I have often spoken of the evaporation, the weakening of traditions, institutions that provide a backstop when our society is backsliding. And this man today stood up and actually was an institution. He personified an institution that people do rely on to get things right and to do it fairly and properly without any political corruption involved, without any bias involved.<\/p>\n<p>But stop and think of what this man had to deal with, this whole police department. You\u2019ve got a guy who\u2019s doing two things: He\u2019s running, first, a fake crime. But look at who he\u2019s trying to blame it on. He\u2019s trying to blame it on the president of the United States, Make America Great Again. Two guys wearing MAGA hats and this is Make America Great Again country, you black whatever, and then they start beating him up. And this police superintendent, commissioner, was fearless in the way he dealt with this.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-300509\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/NY-Post-SMOLLETT.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/NY-Post-SMOLLETT.jpg 601w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/NY-Post-SMOLLETT-269x300.jpg 269w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/>And I just want you to hear the way he did it again. If you missed the first hour of the program and you haven\u2019t yet had a chance to see any of the video of this, his name is Eddie Johnson. He\u2019s the police superintendent. He started the press conference, and he was mad as he could be, but he was contained. His anger here was very contained, but you could tell he was personally offended, he was personally insulted by as much of this as he should have been. We have three sound bites. Here is the first.<\/p>\n<p>JOHNSON: Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile? To make things worse, the accusations within this phony attack received national attention for weeks. Celebrities, news commentators, and even presidential candidates weighed in on something that was choreographed by an actor.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Right. He began this press conference by expressing his frustration at all the attention this fake incident got in the first place. He lamented that real crime, real crime hurting real people in Chicago doesn\u2019t get anywhere near this kind of attention. He resented the fact that because an actor choreographed something that the media and entertainment people and then presidential candidates all get involved, to stake their claim to it without knowing what the heck happened.<\/p>\n<p>And he\u2019s letting everybody know that he didn\u2019t. And his department didn\u2019t. They remained removed from this. They weren\u2019t tainted by it. They weren\u2019t affected by it. They acted exactly as a police department is supposed to. By the way, the superintendent is African-American. And that\u2019s why he\u2019s righteously indignant over this, why he says he doesn\u2019t understand why anyone, especially an African-American man, would use a noose to make false accusations. My guess is he does understand, but it\u2019s the bang-up thing to say.<\/p>\n<p>Now, here\u2019s what they\u2019re angry about. They\u2019re worried that the hate crime business is gonna take a hit. And we\u2019ve had a couple callers today that really raised a great question. You know, why hasn\u2019t Smollett been charged with a hate crime? Because he did try to frame Trump supporters for this! He tried to frame President Trump and his supporters for this. I asked yesterday, the day before, why isn\u2019t all of this actually, when you boil it down, a hate crime against Trump?<\/p>\n<p>This is defamation. This is libel. It\u2019s no different than what\u2019s happened to the Covington kids by the Washington Post and the rest of the media. By the way, some great stuff from their lawyer that I want to share with you later. But here\u2019s the second sound bite from the police superintendent Eddie Johnson in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>JOHNSON: Smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic, and political language. When that didn\u2019t work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago\u2019s reputation through the mud in the process. And why? The stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary. So he concocted a story about being attacked. To put the national spotlight on Chicago for something that is both egregious and untrue is simply shameful. I\u2019m also concerned about what this means moving forward for hate crimes. My concern is that hate crimes will now publicly be met with a level of skepticism that previously didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Mr. Superintendent, I hate to tell you, but that\u2019s already happening. From Duke lacrosse to Trayvon Martin to Baltimore to Ferguson, Missouri, these hate crimes are already &#8212; they\u2019re not hate crimes. By the way, why is there a crime with the added adjective &#8220;hate&#8221; attached to it? You beat somebody up, you beat somebody up. Is it worse that you beat somebody up because you don\u2019t like their race? Well, that\u2019s what we say in America, in our culture, in our criminal justice system, and it\u2019s absurd.<\/p>\n<p>And all it is is an added avenue to go after somebody and tack on more charges. It really just provides the opportunity to continue talking about it and to tar and feather the United States in the process. You heard him say that this was about Smollett wanting more money, dissatisfied with his salary. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s all this was about. I mean, it could be a factor, but, you know, if you\u2019re gonna orchestrate being beaten up, you\u2019re gonna create a hoax and a fake attack, you can have yourself beaten up by anybody. This guy chose Trump supporters.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-300213\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-021919-Smollett.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-021919-Smollett.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/APP-021919-Smollett-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>And if you read his Twitter feed, this guy hates Trump, he\u2019s poisoned with Trump hatred. So there is obviously a political aspect to what Smollett did here. And I think simply saying that he wanted a raise is actually a way of lessening the charge and causing people to feel not quite as mad about this as maybe they should. &#8220;Ah, just some young, immature kid, 36 years old, trying to get more money.&#8221; It\u2019s more than that. Here\u2019s the final bite from the superintendent of police in Chicago today, Eddie Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>JOHNSON: Well, to be perfectly honest, from the very beginning we had some questions about it. But, as I said, we gave Mr. Smollett the benefit of the doubt all the way up until that 47th hour of the 48 hours we could hold those two individuals. Because we just didn\u2019t have the total package to support that it was a hoax. So when you heard me coming out saying, &#8220;We are treating him like a victim,&#8221; that was the truth, because at that time, that\u2019s what he was.<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: So 48 hours, that\u2019s the max you can hold the two conspirators, the guys he hired, the Nigerians, to go out and beat him up. And it was in the last hour of the 48, one hour before they were going to have to release these two clowns that they were able to put the story together. He told that story to let everybody know that there was no prejudicial treatment of Smollett whatsoever. The Chicago PD believed him from the get-go until they didn\u2019t. That\u2019s how close Smollett came here to pulling this off.<\/p>\n<p>I think overall the superintendent deserves kudos for firing back at this the way that he did, without fear of what the media\u2019s gonna say about him, without fear what presidential candidates are gonna say about, he just took \u2019em all on. He just raked \u2019em over the coals and basically ridiculed them: media, entertainment people, presidential candidates. You don\u2019t see people willing to stand up to people in public like this much anymore. There\u2019s a lot of cowering, there\u2019s a lot of fear, and especially of media.<\/p>\n<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n<p>RUSH: Ah, this is funny. CNN\u2019s doing a story on the presidential candidates having to walk back their initial Smollett reactions. CNN, how about you? You know, Brooke Baldwin is the one doing the story here on all these presidential candidates having to walk back the reaction. Hers was over the top! She practically started crying (imitating Baldwin), \u201cI can\u2019t believe this is what\u2019s become of America!\u201d (crying). She\u2019s acting like she never said it! All these clowns in the media are acting like they never had a role in any of this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RUSH: We saw an institution, a man, actually, representing an institution stand up and call something out for exactly what it was.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":300512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chicago Police Superintendent Takes a Stand for Right and Wrong - The Rush Limbaugh Show<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2019\/02\/21\/chicago-police-superintendent-takes-a-stand-for-right-and-wrong\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Chicago Police Superintendent Takes a Stand for Right and Wrong - 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