Nation’s most powerful Democrats took Jussie Smollett’s hate crime hoax as gospel before story crumbled

Disgraced actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced on Thursday after being convicted last year of faking a hate crime against himself and lying about it to Chicago police, capping the swift fall from grace for the "Empire" star who had everyone from Joe Biden to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeting their support prior to his story falling apart. 

Smollett was sentenced to 30 months felony probation, restitution to the city of Chicago in the amount of $120,106, a fine of $25,000, and 150 days in the Cook County Jail. 

Smollett, who is Black and gay, claimed in Jan. 2019 that he was attacked by two men at 2 a.m. on a frigid Chicago night who yelled he was in "MAGA country," a reference to then-President Trump’s campaign slogan. He said the men also used racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an "unknown substance" on him.