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around the state. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. let's get straight to the breaking news. a verdict has just been reached in the trial of actor jussie smollett, falsely accusing of being a victim of a hate crime, that he allegedly arranged himself. sara sidner is outside the courtroom. set the scene. what's about to happen? >> reporter: so, we are awaiting jussie smollett and his family. they have been coming into court every single day. of course, smollett has to be here in order to hear what the jury has decided in this case. we do have a verdict. so we are waiting to hear exactly what that verdict is on six counts against him. they're all six charges of disorderly conduct, essentially what prosecutors say was a lie he made and reported to police after this january 2019 attack that they say was a faked hate crime, that he had perpetrated on himself, in order to get more media attention, for whatever reason. we heard tons of testimony, as you know. it went about seven days, this trial. the jury listening to both closing and opening arguments. they're also listening to lots of evidence throughout the trial, as well as lots of witnesses, including some very significant witnesses. the most significant of the witnesses, perhaps, jussie smollett himself and two brothers, their nicknames are ola and bola. one of the brothers has come into the courthouse in order to hear this verdict himself. so far we have not seen the other brother, but both brothers took the stand and went am smollett by saying, look, we actually perpetrated this alleged attack, because we were told to by jussie smollett, not only told to, but we were given money, $3500 to do so. jussie smollett took the stand saying that was not true, he did not know who attacked him, but there were lots of inconsistencies that the prosecution pointed out. the defense also tried to point out inconsistencies with both the brothers and the police officers who took the stand as well. as you know, these disorderly conduct charges could land him in jail, but it's very much up to the judge's discretion if he is convicted, as to what to do here. the max is three years, and a $25,000 fine. this jury is deciding whether or not ultimately jussie smollett lied or didn't lie. it's pretty much that simple. all of the charges have to do with false reports to police in an attack that jussie smollett has maintained over the past almost three years, that he did not have anything to do with planning. >> as soon as we get the verdict, we'll have coverage. stand by, sara. there's new breaking news, include a new blow to former president trump's efforts to block the investigation. a federal appeals court has just ruled against trump and his executive privilege claims. let's bring in paula reed, who is working the story for us, very busy day also for the select committee. >> it's been a big day for the committee investigating january 6th, a federal appeals court affirmed their right to obtain white house records. this after they put on a show of force on capitol hill with four key witnesses showing up to answer questions about the insurrection. a big victory for the house select committee investigating january 6th as a federal appeals court ruled former president trump cannot stop lawmakers from obtaining his white house records. committee members welcomed the decisions. >> all the rule, up to this point have stanch yaled these documents earp necessary, and he's the former president. he doesn't have the right over executive privilege. >> reporter: it was a big day for the commit year. earlier a parade of key witnesses arrived to answer question about the insurrection. >> reporter: did you cooperate today? >> including kash patel, a form of department of defense official and one of the first witnesses subpoenaed by the committee. and stop the steal rally organizer ali alexander. >> we've got tons of evidence for them. like i said, thousands of records, hundreds of pages. >> chris krebs, a former top security officials in the trump administration, and johnny smith, who helped president trump contest the election. eastman has said he intends to assert his fifth amendment right. vice chairwoman liz cheney tweeted the committee is firing on all cylinders and already has spoken with 300 people. the show of force is coming as the committee is hitting road blocks with other key witnesses. some loyalists plan to plead the fifty and mark meadows sued the committee wednesday to block the subpoena. >> they are doing a fishing expedition. >> reporter: the suit filed after the committee signaled they would pursue a criminal contempt referral because of his refusal to sit for a deposition. it's a very superficial filing, but it won't be successful. we intend to move forward and hold him in criminal contempt. >> reporter: an bankrupt reversal for meadows, who had been cooperating. cnn learned the documents included person text messages and e-mails with a wide range of individuals while the attack was underway. a source with knowledge of the communications tells cnn 9 messages related to what trump was doing and not doing during the riot, offering a window into what people were texting to meadows, and what he was saying about trump in real time. the committee noting meadows handed them over without any claim of privilege. >> i think he's really in a compromised legal position, because he's provided information to the committee which he acknowledges is not privilege, yes refused to appear to answer questions about the documents. >> reporter: the full hout is expected to vote on tuesday in holding meadows in criminal c contempt. wolf, he has two weeks to appeal the decision. >> thanks very much, paula. we'll get back to this subject in a moment. live pictures coming in from chicago, jussie smollett and his family are arriving in chicago. a jury has been reached, six men, six women. we're standing by to hear that verdict. of course, we'll have live coverage of that once it happens. they're going through security. we'll watch it unfold. he is facing charges -- felony charges, six felony charges of disorderly conduct, basically lying to police officers under oath about what happened in chicago. you can see these live pictures coming in. we're watching all of this unfold very, very closely. there he is with the family, walking into the courthouse. they'll be in the courtroom momentarily. then we'll await the official announcement of the verdict. sara sidner is outside the courthouse for you. sara, this is getting closer and closer to the official announcement. >> you just saw jussie smollett and his family members who have been with us the entire time, just walking by, every single person that has to go into a court hose in this particular cook county court, has to go through the lobby where all the cameras are for the trial, so you saw him there. you're sigh him and the people who have been with him, his family in and out as they have entered court. he has to be here. the reason why this is significant is, of course, he has to be here in order for them to read the verdict. so -- it's been about an hour since we heard that the jury had a verdict, and now the last person that needs to be in court has arrived into the courthouse. that's jussie smollett. his attorneys and his family and the prosecutors are also here, wait to go hear what the jury decides. he's facing six charges. >> the jury, the judge will come in, all the attorneys will be there, and we'll have coverage once that verdict is announced. we'll get back to you once we know. we'll find out fairly soon. stand by. i want to get back to the january 6th investigation right now. lots going on here in washington. jami jamie gangel, dana bash and dave -- dave, this ruling against president trump is a clear win for the select committee. how could this potential play out? we're all assignmenting that the former president's lawyers will try to go to the supreme court for another round. >> first we have to get through a motion for rehearing. after that's denied, then there's a petition to get this heard before the supreme court. there's no guarantee the supreme court will hear this case. in fact the ruling today seemed to be designed to make it favorable to this conservative supreme court. the rule today focused on the separation of powers, saying, hey, the executive branch under joe biden has the power to make the decision on executive privilege, and we judges should not interfere. that seems to be the type of argument that would appeal to justice kavanaugh and the other conservatives on the 6-3 conservative majority. even if they hear it, i think they're still going to rule the way of the january 6th committee. if they don't hear the case, obviously the appellate decision today will stand, and those trump documents will be handed over. in the meantime they're not handing over the documents, but they clearly are seen as critically important. dana, the former president argued it would set a dangerous precedent to hand over the presidential reports, but clearly the court at the appellate level disagreed, didn't they? >> they absolutely did. what they're effectively saying is the precedent that would be dangerous would be for a former president's desires to supersede the person who is in the white house, particularly in this situation when the person in the white house is saying, yes to an active congressional investigation. just as we just ahead, the notion of separation of powers, there's one sentence that stuck out to me. essential to the rule of law is the principle a former president must meet the same legal standards for obtaining relief just as everyone else. a former president has failed that task, effectively saying he doesn't -- he doesn't get a right to say he is claiming executive privilege. there's one president at a time. that president is saying, go ahead, get the documents. >> you know, jamie, it was a very busy say overall for the january 6th committee. liz cheney, the vice chair, says the investigation is firing on all cylinders right now. you've been reporting extensively on what's going on. update the viewers on the latest. >> one of the important things we know is liz cheney also says these document that former chief of staff mark meadows has handed over to the committee -- let's just repeat, he handed them over voluntary. there was no claim of privilege. more than 6,000 pages of documents. what liz cheney has also said is, those texts, those e-mails which were on his personal phone are, quote, extremely interesting. i spoke to a source very familiar with these, and what they're telling me is that when you look at these text exchanges, e-mail exchanges, this is what was going on in real time. this is january 6th, the riot is unfolding, and people are e-mails mark meadows. what is the important of that? he is with donald trump. so the committee now has a window into what was donald trump doing? and what wasn't he doing? dereliction of duty is something that many of these members have talked about, why didn't he stop the riot? they may think they have a lot of insight into that question just by looking at these texts and e-mails that mark meadows voluntarily handed over. all right. guys, everybody stand by. there's a lot more going on. jamie gangel, dana bash, david arongale. jussie smollett has just arrived at the courthouse. we'll have live coverage as soon as we get that verdict in this trial in chicago. also president biden reaches out to the leader of ukraine about the threat of a russian military invasion. and we'll also get reaction to the u.s. diplomatic boycott of the beijing olympics. from nba player and new u.s. citizen, enes cannter freedom. he's standing by live, you're in "the situation room." solve 3 problems at once with finish jetdry 3in1. >> man: what's my safelite story? 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[ marcia ] clearchoice dental implants gave me the ability to take on the world. i feel so much better, and i think that that is the key. this... is the planning effect. this is how it feels to have a dedicated fidelity advisor looking at your full financial picture. this is what it's like to have a comprehensive wealth plan with tax-smart investing strategies designed to help you keep more of what you earn. and set aside more for things like healthcare, or whatever comes down the road. this is "the planning effect" from fidelity. we're standing by for the verdict to be read in the trial of the actor jussie smollett. we'll bring it to you as soon as we get it. stand by for that. also, the threat of a russian invasion of ukraine remains front and center for president biden. he spoke with vladimir putin, following up on -- phil mattingly has details. >> what we know is that the aggression here is on the russian side. >> reporter: tonight president biden moved to reassuring american allies. >> our objective is to make clear the significant and severe economic consequences if russia were to invade ukraine, not just from us, but from the global community. >> reporter: biden seen here in the mid of his hour and 16 minutes call with president zelensky, as hundreds of russian troops threat been ukraine on three borders. >> on his call with president putin and underscore our support for ukraine's sovereignty. >> reporter: and then the call with leaders of nine allies, recognition of the reality, even though ukraine isn't a nato ally, those in the region that are, have grown increasingly unsettled. >> we have a moral obligation and legal obligation under article 5. it's a sacred obligation. >> reporter: in an attempt to rally allies, to assure those who would bear the brunt of it. >> democracy is not happen by accident. >> reporter: at the same time biden was making the direct case for global democracy. >> i wanted to host the summit, because here in the united states we know, as well as anyone, that renews our democracy and strengthening our democratic institution requires constant effort. >> reporter: combining world leaders for a two-day summit, all at a moment he noted the idea itself is backsliding across the globe. >> this is an urgent matter on all of our parts, because the data we're seeing is largely pointing in the wrong direction. >> reporter: including at home, where an attack on the u.s. capitol, an attempt to overturn as an election by former president trump have underscored clear chance. countries were not invited -- >> in the face of sustained and alarming challenges to democracy, universal human rights, all around the world, democracy needs champions. >> reporter: wolf, in a week defined by tensions with russia, continued tensions with china due to a diplomatic boycott of the beijing olympics, iran is also front and center for this white house. jen psaki telling reporters today the president has directed his team to prepare for the possibility that an effort to bring the iran nuclear deal back into place will fail. those negotiations over the cost of the last several months have not led to any breakthroughs. the patience in the white house, at least, seems to be wearing thin, wolf. thank you very much sara sidner, you have is the details of the jury verdict. >> reporter: that's right jussie smollett, a jury has found he is guilty of five of six counts of disorderly conduct. now, of those five counts, i'm going to give you a bit of what the law is there, and what he was charged with, what he is now convicted of. on count 1, making a false police report he was the victim of a hate crime to officer bay, one of the officers who took that report. the second counset, a false rept that he was a victim of battery. the third counseled the jury found him guilty of making a false report as the victim of a hate crime to another detective, and then on count 4, guilty of making a false police report he was a invevictim of battery to same detective. count 5, making a false police report, this time victim of a battery, again to the same police officer. on count 6, that is the only count that the jury found him not guilty. that was for making a false police report that he was a victim of an aggravated battery. so, what we now know is the judge will have to decide what his sentence is. we saw jussie smollett coming into court as he has every day of this trial, surrounded by a large group of his family and supporters. he is now found guilty by a jury of his peers here in chicago, again, five of six counts he's been found guilty on. a judge will decide what that punishment will be, because there is a range here, and the judge has great discretion to decide what he should face. the range is up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine. the judge could decide all manner of things. he could decide he just pays a fine, that he doesn't spend a day in jail, this will all by up to the judge looking at the factors in this case, whether there are aggravating factors or not. one of the factors the judge will certainly look at is one of the subjects that the prosecutors have brought up, but also whether or not he lied on the stand, for example, because in this case, it is all about a lie. it's about a false report to police. it could also be about potential aggravating factors, lying while on the stand as well. the judge will weigh all of that and decide what his punishment may be. as you know, if you haven't heard of this case, it would be a surprise, because back in january of 2019, everyone around the country, even the world, was talking about this alleged hate crime that he said was perpetrated on him. a jury decided that turned out to be a lie. >> they certainly did, five of six counts guilty as charged. stand by, i want to bring in laura coates and joey jackson laura, let me start with you. also it was about the counts and also how the city of chicago felt as though he had exploited these very, very difficult topics of hate crimes, homophobia, racism, tried to exploit and capitalize, they say for publicity and note rye yet. and we think about hate crime, as you know, it had been on the rise in this country for the past several years. part of the frustration of the special prosecutor and the jurisdiction, people are likely to be less believed if they are to report these falsehoods, that there's a way for future victims of hate crimes, that if you provide this information, if you say these hoaxes, you lessen the credibility of future victims of hate crimes. of course nobody wants that to happen. the jury has spoken clearly on this issue, they will not tolerate and think it was a waste of resource, taxpayer dollars, to try to engage in this behavior. joey, how serious is this conviction on five counts of disorderly conduct? >> it's problematic for him in a number of ways, the first of which is, although sara indicated, a maximum of three years, the judge can give him probation. at she also indicated, what happens, when you testify in a case, the judge now gets a sense of what you said. what jussie smollett set was resoundingly rejected by the jury. the jury did not buy what he was selling. that's not lost upon a judge. you came into the courtroom and fabricated. why do i add that? i'm saying though the maximum is three years, he now, the defendant mr. smollett, now a convicted felon, i do believe has exposed himself to jail time. i think this is a case that many said about credibility. i would disagree. transcended credibility went to more of whether or not your facts made sense in the event that police had footage prior to that particular day, you have to explain. it's very difficult to give the indication i had nothing to do with it, when you're seen at that location. it's kind of difficult when there's a $3500 check you allegedly paid these brothers to say it was just nutrition. it's different when police say, sir, give me your phone, i want to check it out, and you say no, i didn't trust the police, i didn't want any dna, so i stop there. the narrative he was telling in terms of this hate crime, and really factually it doesn't make sense with respect to all of the facts that went against them. we're thankful for a jury system in this country that can really reach conclusions, and now he'll face sentencing. >> not only is he convicted of lying to police officers in the course of the investigation, but also, you know, i'm sure the judge will have to consider the fact that he was, at least according to the jury, lying under oath during the course of the trial. >> remember, he took the stand in his own defense. he was prepared to speak, contrary to what the prosecution witnesses said, including the two brothers who said they were paid to commit this hoax, in defiance of what we know to be logical of our understanding of hate crimes, to have this hoax, that it was a publicity scam. so him taking the stand let to his exposure in the way joey has spoken about. a judge is now looking at you, taking everything you had to say and assessing it. he also is an actor. our paul callen spoke about it last week. the jury is sizing up the person for credibility, wondering about their demeanor, the presentation, the way they defend themselves. they're going to expect a polished presentation, which cuts against you. if they believe you are constructing a narrative in a case defined by the construction of a false narrative, it can weigh against you. it was a big calculated strategy, and now we so a miscalculation, of course, by the defense team to call him to the stand. remember, they had initially dismissed these charge. he had forfelted a bail. done community service, and no, we don't agree into this notion of somebody versus a case dismissed. it was viewed as celebrity privilege going on, going awry. here,responded to all of these factors. if the prosecution is able to meet this burden, and they did in five out of six, the jury has spoken and the judge must abide by that in his or her presentation of the sentence. >> first of all, what is the mood like on the ground? does this verdict, guilty of five of six counts, come as a surprise? >> reporter: it does not, only in that, when you look at what the evidence was, there were surveillance videos, hundreds of hours, thousands of hours of videos that police went there you. some of those were brought into the case. there was testimony from the two brothers. they clearly knew him. there was clearly a relationship. one of them was his trainer. to have them take the stand was extremely significant, saying, look, we did this, we were wrong. we did this, but we were told to do this. we were doing this because we were given $3500, and we were told you're not to hurt him that bad, just rough him up a bit. there was also the video with the noose. that video came back, i think, in the end to bite jussie smollett. the police came to him, and they had their body cams on. you see the noose around his neck. the prosecution saying it's very disheveled, but when we first say it, what happened, did you take it off and put it back on? he said, well, yes, i took it offer, but it was because i put it back on for police. i was told by a colleague i shouldn't have messed with the evidence, i shouldn't have tampered with it. he said the exact opposite during an interview to "gma" he told everyone in the world he indeed had never taken it off. there were lots of inconsistencies pointed out. one of the things that's upset folks in the chicago area about this is the amount of time and money that the police spent on trying to solve this crime, that a jury has said is a hoax, when there are so many other crimes and things happening in this city that people feel like the police should be concentrating on. >> that's an important point. joey, the prosecution made a strong case that smollett lied under oath and lacked credibility. you think that argument offly clearly resonated with the jury? >> i think it did. to piggyback on laura's points, peer were suffering as a result of being attacked because of the notion of haye. how does it diminish or devalue some significance to what they have to say -- furthermore, when you have police resource being diverted on his that are insignificant. why? because they didn't happen. that's a problem. you have other things that need to be done, investigated, and people brought to justice. at the end of the day, you know, i just think courts of law are about justice. this jury sat and evaluated this. his story just did not make sense under any measure. when you testify, i don't care if you're a well-seasoned actor, you have to answer questions. if those questions are inconsistent with reality, then you know what? the jury doesn't buy it. they didn't buy it here. the fact he lied will be taken into consideration by the court upon sentencing. we're standing by, about to get reaction from the prosecution and the defense. they're still inside the courtroom, we're told. you're looking at live pictures from just outside the cou courthouse. our special coverage here in "the situation room" will continue, right after this. d al, you'll have many questions. challenges. and a few surprises. ♪ but wherever you are on your journey. your dell technologies advisor is here for you - with the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers. ♪ ♪ ♪ (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ are the stars out tonight? (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ ♪ alexa, play our favorite song again. ok. ♪ i only have eyes for you ♪ healthier is seeing a healthcae pro whenever you may need one. doctor: the fever should break... or...trying to. ♪ ♪ this is what healthier looks like ♪ hey, it's ryan reynolds, owner of mint mobile with a holiday offer i think that you're going to like. when you switch to mint now, you'll get three months of premium wireless free on any plan, even unlimited. yeah. even unlimited. that's right. while the big wireless companies spend billions on holiday ads luring you into expensive contracts, we spent $79 on this stock video so we can afford to give you stuff for free. you gotta be into that, right? yes, you can't resist savings. - san francisco can have criminal justice reform and public safety. but district attorney chesa boudin is failing on both. - the safety of san francisco is dependent upon chesa being recalled as soon as possible. - i didn't support the newsom recall but this is different. - chesa takes a very radical perspective and approach to criminal justice reform, which is having a negative impact on communities of color. - i never in a million years thought that my son, let alone any six-year-old, would be gunned down in the streets of san francisco and not get any justice. - chesa's failure has resulted in increase in crime against asian americans. - the da's office is in complete turmoil at this point. - for chesa boudin to intervene in so many cases is both bad management and dangerous for the city of san francisco. - we are for criminal justice reform. chesa's not it. recall chesa boudin now. the breaking news, a jury in chicago has just found the actor jussie smollett guilty on five out of six counts of disorderly conduct. we're staying on top the story throughout the night. stand by, we'll get reaction from the prosecution and the defense. there's other important news we're following as well. also tonight france is dismissing the u.s. diplomatic boycott, which has joined, by the way, by britain, canada and australia. they also are engaged in dippic boycotts. the french president cal the move, and i'm quoting him, teeny, tiny and symbolic. the white house still defending the decision. >> the president made a decision that we cannot continue as usual. not sending a diplomatic contingent is a message. we can have the athletes shoulder that burden during the oil. enes kanter freedom joins us. the shirt you're wearing right now, does a diplomat ecboycott of the olympic games in china go star enough? >> you know, it is a good first step. more countries are joining, australia, uk, canada, but it is not enough. you know, while we're speaking, there's a genocide happening, and shame on the international olympic committee, that are organized the games in china, where there's pretty much a dictatorship. i'm telling all these countries and athletes to speak up and move the games somewhere else. >> you heard jen psaki saying these athletes have been working, training, getting ready their whole lives to compete in these olympic games. will you encourage these athletes to consider boycotting the games? have you spoken to any of these olympic athletes? >> first of all, all the gold medals in the world are not as important as your morals, principles and values. yes, i have spoken to so many athletes which are about to go to china. they are really worried. i told them, look what they did to their own tennis player. are we going to trust them with our players? i feel like not just countries and governments, but athletes need to push their governments, and also their companies to stop sponsoring the olympics. >> you have written an article in "the atlantaic" about becoming a u.s. citizens. congratulations, by the way, after facing very grave persecution from your native country of turkey. let me read a portion -- i know what it's like to have people have their freedom stripped away and my own freedom stripped away. this week i'm re-claiming my freedom. i'm making america and its freedoms a part of my very identity. you added freedom to your last name. how meaningful is it for you to call yourself an american citizens? >> first time i came to america back in 2009, i was very scared for one of my teammates, because i thought he would end up in jail. he said, don't worry, brother, this is not turkey. i wanted to make that word a part of me and educate our young generation. just because i was outspoke, my passport got revoked. i have ten arrested wanted in four years, but, you know, i'm trying to tell people in america we should by blessed to be in this situation. obviously america has its own problems, but we should feel blessed and lucky. i'm happy and excited to be a part of this great nation. >> you faced, as you correctly pointed out, incredible backlash from the turkish president, forcing your parents to disown you. what is your message to the turkish president erdogan? >> first, it's a pure dictatorship. my message is free all the political prisoners. turkey could be a bridge between slam islam and the west, but because of what's happening now, it's impossible. my problem is not with the country, but with the current regime. it is a cultish regime and a pure dictatorship. i'm trying to be the void of innocent people who don't have a voice. >> you haven't spoken to your parents since 2015. i'm sure it's painful for you and for them, but you're afraid they could be further endangered. before i let you go go, enes, i want you to comment on a comment that americans who do criticize our own country should, in your words, keep their mouths shut. as you write in "the atlantic" it's an american freedom to criticize our own country. i want you to explain what you meant. do you regret making that comment? >> thank you for asking me that question. obviously america has its own problems. racism is top of the list. more often we sit down with my teammates and have a conversation on what to do to educate our young generation. what i meant, obviously i know so many problems are happening, but i'm coming from a country where people are just jailed because they criticize the government. what i meant by is people should very, very lucky and blessed to be nlgts situation. obviously twoiers when the black lives matters protests were happening, i was one of the first ones to criticize what was happening and join the protests with my teammates. so it's important to know what's going on here in america also, but at the same time people feel very blessed to be in this situation. you have freedom of speech, religion, expression, and there's democracy. so it is important for me. >> one of great things about our democracy, any democracy, you can love your country, and we all love our country, but you can also criticize government decisions. >> exactly. >> and you have the freedom to do so. that's why i wanted you to clarify what you had said. enes kanter freedom, thank you for joining us, and congratulations on becoming a u.s. citizens. we'll watched you play for the celtics, even though i'm a wizards fan. >> thank you very much. we're awaiting reaction for the jussie smollett verdict. we'll go back to chicago and get the reaction from the prosecution and the defense. maybe we'll hear from just legitimate molt -- jussie smoll. stand by. lipton. stop chuggin'. start sippin'. feel stuck with student loan debt? 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>> it means 100 million aren't vaccinated. it remain a pandemic of the under vaccinated . it protects you. >> thanks very much. i want to go back to chicago. the prosecutor is speaking in the jussie smollett trial. >> that's what i foi told the verdict. after one day of deliberations in which they found mr. smollett guilty of virtually all charges of doing exactly what we said he did of reporting a fake crime to the chicago police department as a real crime. that verdict was a resounding message by the jury that, in fact, mr. smollett did exactly what we said he did. what i think is important about this verdict is that a lot of you from chicago know it was a couple years ago when the court system came to me and wanted me to become special prosecutor because there was a feeling that things that had happened in the past that there never was a public trial and that this controversial events that kou -- occurred regarding mr. smollett and what he did to this city never had a chance to put it in front of a jury and let a jury decide after hearing all the evidence whether what mr. smollett was right or wrong because very controversial. i agreed to do that because i felt it was also important for the cook county injury dishl system to get a trial. whether we won or lost a trial was not the issue. what was the issue is when mr. smollett had done in this city should be aired in front of a public trial where all the evidence comes out, all the talk on social media, may or may not be true but the true facts, i thought needed to come out and we did it. i became special prosecutor and the rest is history. we now won this case. i want to point out that there's enormous effort put in when i agreed to take the special prosecutor role. that meant my law firm became special prosecutors and the men and women around me right now in the last two and a half years have worked so hard to develop the evidence, present it to a grand jury, go through pandemic. wait to get a trial, which we wanted and finally in the last ten days, these lawyers have had chance to present this evidence to a jury and we come away with the jury agreeing that they should have heard the case and he was guilty. thank you very much. questions. i'm not going to speculate on why a jury did that. that sixth count occurred two weeks after the event. the other false statements were made on the day of january 29th on three different interviews. that counted for five of the six counts which he was found not guilty of those. it wasn't that significant to our case. the answer is yes. you're right. it was the aggravated battery which means there has to be a mass and we charged that because the police officer testified that that's when smollett told the police officer he was a mask. this jury worked so hard and for mr. smollett to get up in front of them and lie for hours and hours and hours, that really compoundsed his misconduct. when that happened, we don't expect defendants to do that. defendants have a right to go to trial. defendants have a right to argue their case has not been proven. defendants do not have the right to go in front of a jury and lie under oath. mr. smollett would not have lost this case as he did today unless the jury found that he lied to them. i was proud this jury came to the conclusion he was guilty and he came up with a completely ridiculous story to explain his misconduct did not apparently have an impact on the jury's verdict. >> that is perjury. who do you handle that at this point? >> i don't know the answer to that question. i will say that over the years, if someone is convicted in a court of law by a jury normally follow up perjury charges do not occur. that's not the way it is. i'm not going to predict what will happen here. we just got the verdict 30 minutes ago. let's see what happens. >> all right. there you have the special prosecutor daniel webb concluding his win today. five of six counts against the actor jussie smollett guilty and could face up to three years in prison right now. we'll continue to watch the aftermath, the reaction to this trial. until then, thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room". donald trump losing a big legal fight to keep january 6th documents secret. could the supreme court ride to his rescue. breaking news this hour. actor jussie smollett found guilty of making false reports to police for claiming he was the victim of late crime. i'll tell you about possible jail time. tnchs all hands on deck. that's what the governor is saying about covid surge in his state. just how bad is it? let's go out front