Smollett lawyer suggests star witness sought money, fame

By DON BABWIN and SARA BURNETT
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Jussie Smollett’s legal team is suggesting a star state witness who testified about how the former “Empire” actor recruited him and his brother to stage a fake attack was trying to further his career and make money off the actor. A defense attorney asked Abimbola Osundairo during cross-examination Thursday if he sold drugs to Smollett. The aspiring actor said he got drugs for Smollett when he asked, but insisted he is “not a drug dealer.” Osundairo testified that Smollett instructed him and his brother on how they should carry out the Jan. 29, 2019, hoax, telling him to deliver light punches and even to rub his knuckles hard on Smollett’s head. Smollett’s attorneys say he was a victim of a real attack.