chicago pd said he did.

the brothers disputed that claim...under oath...in front of the grand jury.

https://www.tmz.com/2019/02/23/jussie-smollett-3500-dollars-money-attack-training/

i dont know how much bearing that would have on the overall legal trajectory...but chicago pd asserting something like that without evidence or corroboration from your only 2 witnesses seems like the type of fuckup that could put a case in doubt.

this *is* chicago pd. just judging by a lot of the careless leaks that turned out to not be true...it wouldnt surprise me if there was more sloppiness in their investigation that imperil the chances of an indictment or subsequent conviction.

itd be kinda funny to see all of this media attention just for a blown collar on a simple false report charge.