Not long after fake racist charges were leveled against the Catholic Covington high school boys, charges of another hate crime were filed in Chicago. Actor Jussie Smollett, an openly gay, black actor on the Fox series “Empire,” claimed he was attacked after leaving a Subway restaurant on January 29th.

And as surely as night follows day, multiple big media commentators and left-wing politicians rushed to judgment and all jumped to the same conclusion. 

They found it totally believable that two white men stalked Smollett, attacked him, threw bleach on him and shouted “This is MAGA country” at 2:00 AM in Chicago when the temperature was minus 9 degrees. There may be two Trump voters in Chicago, but I doubt they know each other.

When asked by “Good Morning America” co-host Robin Roberts why he was singled out for this attack, Smollett answered, “I come really, really hard against [Donald Trump]… and I don’t hold my tongue." 

In the days that followed the alleged attack, surveillance video showed two suspicious looking men. But as the investigation proceeded, there were numerous discrepancies in Smollett’s story, and he was less than forthcoming with the police.

Last week, Smollett’s two "attackers” were identified. They are not white. They are of Nigerian descent. One of the men had also appeared on “Empire.” They told the Chicago police that they were hired by Smollett to attack him and also sent a fake hate letter to him.

Over the weekend, left-wing pundits and politicians, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were forced to take down posts that blamed Donald Trump for the attack. 

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who wants to be president, used Smollett’s allegations to champion legislation making lynching a federal hate crime. Ironically, it seems that the only crime committed here was Smollett’s. Booker is now refusing to comment until “all the information actually comes out." 

That’s good advice, senator. Too bad you didn’t follow it when it mattered most.

While some may be tempted to laugh, this is no laughing matter. At a time of significant racial discord, much of it fueled by the left, Smollett set out to throw gasoline on the fire. 

So I join Al Sharpton, who knows a thing or two about hate hoaxes, in calling for justice for Jussie and "accountability to the maximum." 

The radical left, which is saturated with Trump hatred, is deranged. Sadly, hate hoaxes — extreme forms of left-wing propaganda designed to demonize conservatives — are becoming increasingly common. 

Here’s a list of nearly two dozen hate hoaxes perpetrated since Trump’s election. 

Trump vs. Socialism

Speaking in Miami, Florida, Monday, President Trump delivered a blistering speech against the tyrannical regime in Venezuela. Trump called on military leaders there to side with the Venezuelan people and President Juan Guaido and to reject Cuban puppet Nicolas Maduro.

Trump also denounced socialism in Venezuela as well as those demanding socialism in the United States. Here are some excerpts of his remarks.

"Not long ago, Venezuela was the wealthiest nation, by far, in South America. But years of socialist rule have brought this once-thriving nation to the brink of ruin. . .

"In other words, the socialists have done in Venezuela all of the same things that socialists, communists, totalitarians have done everywhere that they’ve had a chance to rule. The results have been catastrophic.

"Almost 90 percent of Venezuelans now live in poverty… Crippling shortages of food and medicine plague the country. Socialism has so completely ravaged this great country that even the world’s largest reserves of oil are no longer enough to keep the lights on…

"The twilight hour of socialism has arrived in our hemisphere and, frankly, in many, many places around the world. The days of socialism and communism are numbered not only in Venezuela, but in Nicaragua and in Cuba as well.

"Socialism promises prosperity, but it delivers poverty. Socialism promises unity, but it delivers hatred and it delivers division. Socialism promises a better future, but it always returns to the darkest chapters of the past. . .

"Socialism is a sad and discredited ideology rooted in the total ignorance of history and human nature, which is why socialism, eventually, must always give rise to tyranny, which it does. Socialists profess a love of diversity, but they always insist on absolute conformity…

"And to those who would try to impose socialism on the United States, we again deliver a very simple message: America will never be a socialist country. We are born free and we will stay free, now and forever.”

And speaking of socialists, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders officially declared his candidacy for president in 2020 yesterday.

States Sue For Open Borders

Sixteen states, led by California, filed suit Monday in federal court challenging the constitutionality of President Trump’s national emergency declaration at the southern border. 

The states joining the effort are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Virginia.

Believe it or not, the California suit was actually the third legal challenge against the president’s declaration. Two others were filed Friday in Washington, D.C. But everyone, including the president, expected the open borders left would rush to the courts to block Trump’s efforts to secure our border.

This is setting up an interesting dynamic. You may recall that in 2010, the state of Arizona sought to crack down on illegal immigration when the Obama Administration refused to do so. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruled against Arizona on the grounds that immigration enforcement was almost exclusively the domain of the federal government.

Now that we finally have an administration willing to enforce our immigration laws, left-wing states are suing to ensure that the borders remain open.

Voters Want Accountability

Last week, I wrote that former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe attempted to stage a coup when he conspired with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump. Those are strong words, but I am not the only one who feels that way.

Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz agrees. And Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham is demanding answers under oath because, as Graham put it, McCabe’s “underlying accusation is beyond stunning." 

It seems many Americans feel the same way. 

A new Rasmussen poll finds that 56% of voters believe crimes were likely committed by senior deep state officials, and 51% support the appointment of another special counsel to investigate the FBI and Justice Department.