By TAMMY WEBBER
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says he’s angry and offended that “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett allegedly lied about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.

He says Smollett exploited racial divisions for his own gain – and smeared the reputation of a city that Johnson has worked his entire career to protect.

Johnson was asked to lead the department in 2016 after former Superintendent Garry McCarthy was fired following the release of dashcam footage showing a white police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager 16 times.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel hoped to repair the trust between the police and residents, and Johnson promised to do his best.

Johnson says Smollett staged a publicity stunt that “was a scar that Chicago didn’t earn and certainly didn’t deserve.”