*The prosecution’s star witness in the Jussie Smollett trial testified this week that he obtained drugs for the actor, but didn’t sell them to him.
We previously reported that the case is all about Smollett being accused of lying to Chicago police about being the victim of an attack in Jan. 2019.
At the time, Smollett said that two men yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him, kicked him, poured bleach on him, put a noose around his neck, and told him, “This is MAGA country.” His account of the alleged incident drew the support of a number of politicians and celebrities, including then-Sen. Kamala Harris and Empire co-creator Lee Daniel.
With the trial now underway, TMZ claims that the prosecution’s star witnesses, one of the Osundairo brothers (Abimbola Osundairo), may have a credibility issue after admitting to obtaining drugs for the star.
READ MORE: Jussie Smollett Opens Up About 2019 Hate Crime Case: ‘They Won’t Let This Go’ [WATCH]
Here’s more from TMZ:
The reason this came up during the trial … back in 2019, texts surfaced between Jussie and one of the brothers about scoring marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy. Documents in the case refer to the transaction this way … “Smollett would request … weed, molly, or Whitney [slang for cannabis and controlled substances].” The document goes on to say Jussie used PayPal and Venmo to pay for the drug transactions. And, the document suggests Jussie tried to cover the drug deal by saying payment was for personal training.
Per the report, Bola testified: “I’m not a drug dealer. I don’t sell.”
TMZ writes, “It’s too early to know how this develops … but jurors may find it hard to swallow Bola’s testimony … that a couple of trainers who have bit parts in a TV show would dig deep into their pockets to pay for the drugs of a wealthy actor.”
Last year, Smollett opened up about his hate crime attack in an interview with activist Marc Lamont Hill. The disgraced actor/singer appeared in an Instagram Live with Hill, during which he discussed his ongoing trial.
“It’s been beyond frustrating, and I certainly am not going rogue,” he said about the case. “I’m still taking the advice of my attorneys and everything like that, but I don’t really see, honestly, what staying quiet has really done, like, where it has gotten me. … It’s so much bigger than me.”
In February 2020, Smollett pleaded not guilty to a six-count indictment that was revived by the special prosecutor.
He continues to maintain his innocence.
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