Harvey Levin Defends TMZ Report on Jussie Smollett’s Attack: ‘Never Said I Believed It’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT SMITH On ░░░░░░░░ this story we ve ░░░░░░░░ following Chicago police still ░░░░░░░░ to reinterview Jussie Smollett ░░░░░░░░ new reports claim the ░░░░░░░░ actor may have been ░░░░░░░░ in faking a racist ░░░░░░░░ sent to him on ░░░░░░░░ set of his own ░░░░░░░░ Harvey Levin is the ░░░░░░░░ of TMZ TMZ broke ░░░░░░░░ story Harvey good morning ░░░░░░░░ you Welcome HEMMER Good ░░░░░░░░ Harvey LEVIN Thanks guys ░░░░░░░░ What can you tell ░░░░░░░░ this morning What are ░░░░░░░░ learning about this bizarre ░░░░░░░░ LEVIN Well as to ░░░░░░░░ letter there are developments ░░░░░░░░ a bunch of fronts ░░░░░░░░ to the letter it ░░░░░░░░ true that the FBI ░░░░░░░░ when the letter was ░░░░░░░░ at Fox studios in ░░░░░░░░ the FBI looked at ░░░░░░░░ For some reason they ░░░░░░░░ off it once this ░░░░░░░░ attack occurred They re ░░░░░░░░ on it Now the ░░░░░░░░ thing that I can ░░░░░░░░ say is that the ░░░░░░░░ is now targeting Jussie ░░░░░░░░ the sender of the ░░░░░░░░ They are just reopening ░░░░░░░░ investigation I do know ░░░░░░░░ You broke this story ░░░░░░░░ the very beginning Why ░░░░░░░░ you believe it LEVIN ░░░░░░░░ didn t say I ░░░░░░░░ it What we said ░░░░░░░░ this is what Jussie ░░░░░░░░ I never said I ░░░░░░░░ it We reported what ░░░░░░░░ said happened I can ░░░░░░░░ you that from the ░░░░░░░░ police had suspicions We ░░░░░░░░ about the suspicions but ░░░░░░░░ on the record were ░░░░░░░░ we consider him a ░░░░░░░░ HEMMER When you first ░░░░░░░░ to print with this ░░░░░░░░ online you had Jussie ░░░░░░░░ version of events LEVIN ░░░░░░░░ HEMMER Did you run ░░░░░░░░ by police in Chicago ░░░░░░░░ you went online with ░░░░░░░░ LEVIN Absolutely As a ░░░░░░░░ of fact they said ░░░░░░░░ consider him a victim ░░░░░░░░ this crime and they ░░░░░░░░ that for almost two ░░░░░░░░ HEMMER You mentioned the ░░░░░░░░ What else is suspicious ░░░░░░░░ or what else is ░░░░░░░░ today LEVIN Well what ░░░░░░░░ new is it looks ░░░░░░░░ this case may go ░░░░░░░░ the grand jury as ░░░░░░░░ as today And the ░░░░░░░░ who say that they ░░░░░░░░ paid by Jussie to ░░░░░░░░ this scheme are going ░░░░░░░░ go before the grand ░░░░░░░░ They did not receive ░░░░░░░░ They were not subpoenaed ░░░░░░░░ are are doing it ░░░░░░░░ voluntarily They met with ░░░░░░░░ yesterday presumably to go ░░░░░░░░ some of the things ░░░░░░░░ re going to tell ░░░░░░░░ jurors But the focus ░░░░░░░░ the grand jury investigation ░░░░░░░░ whether Jussie should be ░░░░░░░░ for a felony which ░░░░░░░░ filing a false police ░░░░░░░░ Sandra Right now the ░░░░░░░░ police want to reinterview ░░░░░░░░ The invitation has been ░░░░░░░░ there for multiple days ░░░░░░░░ and he hasn t ░░░░░░░░ Yeah we are look ░░░░░░░░ are told what he ░░░░░░░░ to do to avert ░░░░░░░░ grand jury is literally ░░░░░░░░ hail Mary where somehow ░░░░░░░░ comes up with something ░░░░░░░░ makes the police believe ░░░░░░░░ It is just not ░░░░░░░░ to happen As a ░░░░░░░░ of fact I have ░░░░░░░░ doubt jussie is not ░░░░░░░░ to talk to the ░░░░░░░░ again I think he ░░░░░░░░ done with that It ░░░░░░░░ doesn t make any ░░░░░░░░ given where this is ░░░░░░░░ now And we re ░░░░░░░░ told by law enforcement ░░░░░░░░ second he refuses to ░░░░░░░░ it goes immediately to ░░░░░░░░ grand jury Bill A ░░░░░░░░ questions Harvey Did he ░░░░░░░░ his story to you ░░░░░░░░ Is that how that ░░░░░░░░ No As a matter ░░░░░░░░ fact there was a ░░░░░░░░ an obscure website that ░░░░░░░░ this thing vaguely that ░░░░░░░░ was an attack and ░░░░░░░░ saw that and then ░░░░░░░░ started calling various people ░░░░░░░░ his camp and it ░░░░░░░░ a couple of hours ░░░░░░░░ we finally got at ░░░░░░░░ his side of the ░░░░░░░░ But it was I ░░░░░░░░ the name of it ░░░░░░░░ It was a website ░░░░░░░░ posted this several hours ░░░░░░░░ the alleged incident happened ░░░░░░░░ In your business you ░░░░░░░░ Hollywood Did you know ░░░░░░░░ his reputation in Hollywood ░░░░░░░░ you a little on ░░░░░░░░ fence at all given ░░░░░░░░ past history Absolutely not ░░░░░░░░ Jussie is a well ░░░░░░░░ person both on and ░░░░░░░░ the empire set There ░░░░░░░░ absolutely people are stunned ░░░░░░░░ are still stunned They ░░░░░░░░ t make sense of ░░░░░░░░ But there was absolutely ░░░░░░░░ clue that we had ░░░░░░░░ that anybody we ve ░░░░░░░░ to throughout this whole ░░░░░░░░ had that something like ░░░░░░░░ could go down Sandra ░░░░░░░░ you tried to explain ░░░░░░░░ yourself after that description ░░░░░░░░ this man why we ░░░░░░░░ where we are today ░░░░░░░░ why this story has ░░░░░░░░ these bizarre twists and ░░░░░░░░ I m not a ░░░░░░░░ so I m not ░░░░░░░░ to pretend to do ░░░░░░░░ Anybody who does is ░░░░░░░░ will say this the ░░░░░░░░ have said that jussie ░░░░░░░░ that he should have ░░░░░░░░ more traction in terms ░░░░░░░░ outrage over that letter ░░░░░░░░ was sent And again ░░░░░░░░ don t know who ░░░░░░░░ it But felt there ░░░░░░░░ have been more tragic ░░░░░░░░ that s what the ░░░░░░░░ are insinuating that that ░░░░░░░░ the motivation Bill One ░░░░░░░░ question here When you ░░░░░░░░ the developments that have ░░░░░░░░ hold of the country ░░░░░░░░ imagination over the past ░░░░░░░░ Do you play back ░░░░░░░░ events in your mind ░░░░░░░░ to how you originally ░░░░░░░░ this and perhaps maybe ░░░░░░░░ sense of apprehension in ░░░░░░░░ future when stories like ░░░░░░░░ cross I would absolutely ░░░░░░░░ that story again bill ░░░░░░░░ don t know if ░░░░░░░░ understand your question Of ░░░░░░░░ I would report that ░░░░░░░░ Bill Hold on Hold ░░░░░░░░ You asked the question ░░░░░░░░ got an actor who ░░░░░░░░ that he was the ░░░░░░░░ of a homophobic racist ░░░░░░░░ The police say we ░░░░░░░░ treating him as a ░░░░░░░░ and we re investigating ░░░░░░░░ would we not do ░░░░░░░░ story What do you ░░░░░░░░ about the reaction from ░░░░░░░░ who pulled back some ░░░░░░░░ their initial reaction to ░░░░░░░░ situation in Chicago I ░░░░░░░░ there are two ways ░░░░░░░░ looking at this One ░░░░░░░░ are you reporting the ░░░░░░░░ Of course you are ░░░░░░░░ the story I mean ░░░░░░░░ s not even an ░░░░░░░░ people who made judgments ░░░░░░░░ the story that I ░░░░░░░░ it s true that ░░░░░░░░ of that you know ░░░░░░░░ s where you got ░░░░░░░░ problem That people jump ░░░░░░░░ conclusions just hearing allegations ░░░░░░░░ And that s where ░░░░░░░░ are right now in ░░░░░░░░ society That s a ░░░░░░░░ problem That is a ░░░░░░░░ problem and there are ░░░░░░░░ lot of people who ░░░░░░░░ that and now they ░░░░░░░░ pulling it back In ░░░░░░░░ of reporting it I ░░░░░░░░ do exactly that again ░░░░░░░░ Before we let you ░░░░░░░░ are you still in ░░░░░░░░ with as you referred ░░░░░░░░ his team Are you ░░░░░░░░ communicating with them Well ░░░░░░░░ we re talking to ░░░░░░░░ lot of people here ░░░░░░░░ they are not saying ░░░░░░░░ whole lot right now ░░░░░░░░ don t think they ░░░░░░░░ quite what to do ░░░░░░░░ looks to me like ░░░░░░░░ geragos may be representing ░░░░░░░░ We can t get ░░░░░░░░ the bottom of it ░░░░░░░░ there are rumblings of ░░░░░░░░ We re trying to ░░░░░░░░ information but it is ░░░░░░░░ on his side.