Jussie Smollett verdict: MSNBC primetime hosts completely avoid disgraced actor's conviction

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What kind of sentence can Jussie Smollett expect?

Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Turley break down the sentencing guidelines Smollett faces in Illinois on 'Special Report.'

History appears to be repeating itself on MSNBC as its primetime stars, again, buried the hate crime hoax that has now resulted in the conviction of disgraced "Empire" star Jussie Smollett. 

Smollett was found guilty on five of the six charges against him stemming from 2019 allegations that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime, which was later revealed he orchestrated. 

JUSSIE SMOLLETT GUILTY OF STAGING HATE CRIME, LYING TO COPS

However, after the breaking news was mentioned on "The Beat with Ari Melber," Smollett's conviction was completely ignored by "ReidOut" host Joy Reid, "All In" host Chris Hayes, "The Rachel Maddow Show" host Rachel Maddow," "The Last Word" host Lawrence O'Donnell as well as "11th Hour" anchor Brian Williams. Their coverage was largely dominated by an appeals court's decision to reject former President Trump's request to shield presidential records from the Jan. 6 committee.

In fact, MSNBC's most-watched programs have never covered the hoax since Smollett made his initial claims and as his false narrative unraveled, according to Grabien transcripts. 

MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, Chris Hayes and Brian Williams have ignored the Jussie Smollett scandal. 

Reid, like many high-profile liberals, famously sided with Smollett in the early days of the hoax.

"Nooses never really disappeared as messages of a very specific kind of terror, but every time they’re used, my God, it’s chilling. Praying for Jussie’s full recovery. And for us all," Reid somberly tweeted in January 2019. 

MSNBC'S AVOIDANCE OF JUSSIE SMOLLETT'S STORY DURING PRIMETIME ‘A POLITICALLY BIASED JOURNALISTIC CHOICE,’ EXPERT SAYS

Unlike her primetime colleagues, Reid did cover the initial charges Smollett faced in February 2019 before they were dropped by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx on her then-weekend program "AM Joy," but largely framed the conversation about the right-wing's response to the actor's hoax. 

After roughly nine hours of deliberation, the jury found Smollett guilty on the first five counts and not guilty on a sixth charge - aggravated battery, wearing a hood or mask to conceal his identity – after a contentious week of witness testimony and counsel arguments. 

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In 2019, top Democrats, celebrities, and liberal news outlets, including MSNBC, all uncritically peddled the false narrative that Smollett was attacked by two MAGA hat-wearing Trump supporters at 2 AM during the polar vortex in Chicago.