President Joe Biden’s administration respects the jury’s conviction of actor Jussie Smollett for faking a hate crime against himself, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. “I would say that we respect the jury’s decision. Lying to the police, particularly about something as heinous as a hate crime, is shameful. Instances of that need to be investigated fully and those found guilty need to be punished, and false accusations divert valuable police resources away from important investigations; they make it harder for real victims to come forward,” Psaki told reporters in Washington. Smollett, 39, alleged in 2019 that he was accosted by two white males who sported gear indicating they were supporters of then-President Donald Trump. But his story fell apart under scrutiny and it emerged he planned the fake assault with two Nigerian-born brothers. Smollett was convicted on Thursday of staging the hate crime and lying to police. When …