Difference being the billionaire likely had blackmail material, and was a clear danger to the elite....in such cases, the aristocracy prefer 'dead men tell no tales'. Smollett was just an inept 'useful idiot' that is no longer useful, but could be salvageable for some future use. While he might be expendable, the risk-reward ratio will likely save his ass. I predict he is jettisoned from the leftist club, ordered to lay low for a few years, then quietly allowed back into the fold under everyones radar. Standard operating procedure for Hollyweird.