Thread by @djbyrnes1

Back at it at the #Smolletttrial trial in Chicago. Jussie Smollett is currently on the stand. Defense attorney Nenye Uche is currently asking Smollett about his visit to a Subway restaurant on Jan. 29, 2019, shortly before the alleged hate crime took place.

Defense is trying to establish a timeline of the 29th from Smollett's perspective. A counter-narrative to the timeline that Michael Theis, the lead Chicago Police investigator into Smollett's case, gave of the evening last week.

After leaving Subway and en route back to his apartment, Smollett says he received a call from his former music manager Brandon Moore immediately prior to allegedly being attacked. While on the phone, he said he heard someone shout "Empire" and "fa---- ni----."

Smollett says his alleged attacker was larger than him and about 10 feet away when he heard the slurs being shouted. The alleged attacker closed the distance between the two "very, very fast," Smollett says.

Smollett says his alleged attacker punched him in the temple before shouting something about "MAGA country." Smollett claims to have slipped during the alleged attack, after which the main alleged attacker and a second accomplice ran away. Smollett couldn't identify either man.

Both alleged attackers was wearing a mask, and though Smollett said he saw pale skin around the person's exposed eyes, he said he couldn't tell if the man was white or just a light-skinned Black person.

After the alleged attack, Smollett said he returned to his apartment. He said his manager, who was at the apartment, called the police. This was allegedly against Smollett's wishes, who says he would never call the police for a number of reasons.

“I would not call the police… I am a Black man in America, I do not trust the police,” Smollett says. He also said he felt emasculated and wanted to keep the incident under wraps. “The moment I got beat up, I became a f---- that got his ass whupped,” he said.

Despite this, Smollett said the police who responded to his manager's call were "so nice." He says he went to the hospital only at the police's urging, as he "felt fine" by the time the police arrived at the scene.

Dr. Robert Turelli, the emergency medicine physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital who first examined Smollett’s injuries following the alleged attack, testified last week that Smollett suffered only minor injuries.

Defense now getting into Smollett's alleged non-compliance with the police investigation, particularly his reluctance - per the prosecution's assertion - to turn over his phone or private phone numbers.

Smollett says he provided the detectives with the phone numbers they asked for, but admits he didn't willingly hand over his phone when detectives first requested it.

This is for, Smollett said, "a number of reasons." Foremost among them, he said he believed that the Chicago Police didn't believe his story. He also said he didn't want to expose his private photos and the contact info of activists in his circle to police scrutiny.

Smollett also said he didn't initially feel comfortable giving the police a DNA sample or biometric data, though eventually relented - submitting cheek swabs and fingerprints to law enforcement.

"Everybody had their own idea of what the story was." - Smollett now explaining why Fox pushed him to do a network interview on the alleged hate attack. He said he didn't want to do the interview, saying the attention around the incident was "embarrassing."

Defense attorney Nenye Uche arguing that Smollett had nothing to gain from staging a hate crime on himself - points out that Smollett has lost work, contacts and reputation as a result of the case. "I've lost my livelihood," Smollett said.

Smollett says he refused to sign a complaint blaming the Osundairo brothers for the alleged attack. He says he didn't believe the brothers had anything to do with it, particularly since the news that they might be involved was coming from the Chicago Police Department.

Smollett said he never promised the Osundairo brothers $500 for staging the alleged attack. He says he "never in [his] life" has planned a hoax.

And with that assertion, the defense has wrapped it initial questioning of Smollett. Cross-examination by the prosecution to follow after another short break.