Of course it was a hoax because the story was so ridiculous on its face and now Smollett needs a defense attorney[1]. Not quite as outrageous as 2017 Jewish Community Center bomb threats [2] which were also blamed on "the rise of white nationalism in Trump's America." yet serving the same political purpose: demonizing republicans, conservatives, whites and unifying groups on the left as they feel they are under attack.

1) https://news.grabien.com/story-cnn-chicago-police-sources-sa...

2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Jewish_Community_Center_b...