Just rephrase the question
Jussie Smollett has been found guilty of lying to police, when he claimed to be the victim of a racist and homophobic assault in Chicago, almost three years ago.
He told police that, while walking the freezing cold, midwinter streets of the Windy City in the small hours, he was assailed by two white men wearing MAGA hats, who shouted racial and homophobic slurs; yelled this is MAGA country
; poured bleach on him; and tied a noose around his neck. None of his claims stood up to any degree of serious critique, and they've been the basis for much hilarity since.
Special prosecutor Dan Webb asked the actor repeatedly about a "hoax" attack. Each time, Smollett denied that was the case. "There was no hoax on my part," he said. "Any question you're going to ask about that is going to be denied."
At this point, Webb should've rephrased his questioning, and asked Smollett whether he didn't stage a hoax attack. That way, he'd have to deny, and admit guilt, or agree and have lied under oath.* Gottim!
Which kinda puts me in mind of a TV interview between Michael Parkinson and Robert Mitchum. Mitchum wasn't particularly effusive, and answered each question with a monosyllabic Yep
. When asked if he answered anything other than yep
, Mitchum responded with Nope
.
It all depends on how you phrase the question. Innit?
* He was clearly lying under oath anyway.