Mar 12, 2022:
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/597966-crime-lab-shreds-kyle-rittenhouses-firearm
Jan 28, 2022:
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/591854-wisconsin-judge-approves-agreement-to-destroy-rittenhouse-rifle
Jan 21, 2022:
https://www.insider.com/kyle-rittenhouse-kenosha-wants-rifle-back-says-destroy-it-2022-1
Dec 7, 2021:
Yesterday, speaking on the You Are Here podcast, Rittenhouse said the following:
Well, hindsight being 20/20, probably not the best idea to go down there[referring to his trip to Kenosha]
Because I don't think I did anything heroic. I just defended myself.
Source:
Wade, ,Peter. (November 7, 2021). 'Not the Best Idea': Kyle Rittenhouse Says He Regrets That He Went to Kenosha. The Right Doesn't. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-12-19
Listen to the entire podcast here.
Nov 23, 2021:
Nov 22, 2021:
During an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson scheduled to air tonight, Rittenhouse said the following:
This case has nothing to do with race. It never had anything to do with race. It had to do with the right to self-defense.
I'm not a racist person. I support the BLM movement. I support peacefully demonstrating...I believe there needs to be change. I believe there's a lot of prosecutorial misconduct, not just in my case but in other cases. It's just amazing to see how much a prosecutor can take advantage of someone. Like, if they did this to me, imagine what they could have done to a person of color who doesn't maybe have the resources I do or it's not widely publicized, like my case.
When asked by Carlson, "What did you make of the President of the United States calling you a white supremacist?", Rittenhouse responded:
Mr. President, if I could say one thing to you, I would urge you to go back and watch the trial and understand the facts before you make a statement...It's actual malice, defaming my character, for him to say something like that.
Carlson was referring to a tweet containing a short 50-second video released by Biden on September 30, 2020, the day after a presidential debate with former President Donald Trump. During the video you see a number of images, one of which is Kyle Rittenhouse holding a firearm (the photo was taken while Rittenhouse was actively patrolling the streets of Kensoha, Wisconsin with other activists). The rest of the video shows a clip of the previous day's presidential debate where moderator Chris Wallace has an exchange with Trump trying to get him to explicitly denounce white supremacy. Biden made the following comment along with the video:
There's no other way to put it: the President of the United States refused to disavow white supremacists on the debate stage last night.
Source:
Mastrangelo, Dominick. (November 22, 2021). "Kyle Rittenhouse: 'I support the BLM movement'". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-11-22
Flood, Brian. (November 22, 2021). "Kyle Rittenhouse tells Tucker Carlson case had ‘nothing to do with race' in first interview after acquittal". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-11-23
Mastrangelo, Dominick. (November 22, 2021). "Rittenhouse says Biden defamed his character when linking him to white supremacists". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-11-22
Biden, Joe. (September 30, 2020). "Joe Biden | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-22
Libs Condemn Rittenhouse Verdict, Ignore a More Grievous Case | Newsmax
Nov 21, 2021:
Rittenhouse acquittal tightens the political vise for Biden | Associated Press
Nov 20, 2021:
Nov 19, 2021:
A jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all five charges (two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, and two counts of recklessly endangering safety) in the shootings that occurred on August 25, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
On that day Rittenhouse, armed with an AR-15, shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and injured Gaige Grosskreutz.
Source:
Layne, Nathan. (November 19, 2021). "Kyle Rittenhouse found not guilty of all charges in Wisconsin murder trial". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-11-20
Jury finds Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges | The Hill
Jury finds Rittenhouse not guilty in Kenosha shootings | Associated Press
FLASHBACK: Biden compared Kyle Rittenhouse to White supremacists in 2020 | Fox News
Pollak: Joe Biden Can Be Sued for Defaming Kyle Rittenhouse | Breitbart
Rittenhouse verdict: What counted as self-defense with open carry firearms? | The Hill
If only Kyle Rittenhouse could ask Biden and media: 'Have you no sense of decency?' | John Kass News
Kyle Rittenhouse trial was designed to protect white conservatives who kill | MSNBC
After the verdict, during a short interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson's film crew Kyle Rittenhouse said the following:
The jury reached the correct verdict. Self-defense is not illegal.
Source:
Lonas, Lexi. (November 19, 2021). "Rittenhouse after trial: 'Self-defense is not illegal'". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-11-21
Anthony Huber's parents released a statement after the verdict, some of which says the following:
Today's verdict means there is no accountability for the person who murdered our son. It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street. We hope that decent people will join us in forcefully rejecting that message and demanding more of our laws, our officials, and our justice system.
No reasonable person viewing all of the evidence could conclude that Mr. Rittenhouse acted in self-defense. In response to racist and violent calls to action from militia members, Mr. Rittenhouse travelled to Kenosha illegally armed with an assault rifle. He menaced fellow citizens in the street. Though he was in open violation of a curfew order, Kenosha police encouraged him to act violently.
Kenosha police told militia members that they would push peaceful protestors toward the militia so that the militia could "deal with them." Soon after, Mr. Rittenhouse killed Joseph Rosenbaum. The police did nothing. Concerned citizens, confronted with a person shooting indiscriminately on the street, stepped in to stop the violence. Anthony was shot in the chest trying to disarm Mr. Rittenhouse and stop his shooting spree. Still, the police did nothing. Mr. Rittenhouse continued to shoot, maiming Gaige Grosskreutz. The police let Mr. Rittenhouse leave the scene freely.
Source:
(November 19, 2021). "'Heartbroken & angry': Anthony Huber's parents react to Kyle Rittenhouse verdict". ABC News/WISN-TV Milwaukee. Retrieved 2021-11-21
When asked by reporters about the verdict, President Joe Biden said "I stand by what the jury has concluded. The jury system works and we have to abide by it." Biden also released the following statement:
While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken. I ran on a promise to bring Americans together, because I believe that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. I know that we're not going to heal our country's wounds overnight, but I remain steadfast in my commitment to do everything in my power to ensure that every American is treated equally, with fairness and dignity, under the law.
I urge everyone to express their views peacefully, consistent with the rule of law. Violence and destruction of property have no place in our democracy. The White House and Federal authorities have been in contact with Governor Evers's office to prepare for any outcome in this case, and I have spoken with the Governor this afternoon and offered support and any assistance needed to ensure public safety.
Source:
Gangitano, Alex. (November 19, 2021). "Biden on Rittenhouse verdict: 'The jury has spoken'". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-11-21
Biden, Joe. (November 19, 2021). "Statement by President Biden". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-21
In a statement, former President Donald Trump said the following:
Congratulations to Kyle Rittenhouse for being found INNOCENT of all charges. It's called being found NOT GUILTY - And by the way, if that's not self defense, nothing is!
Source:
Lonas, Lexi. (November 19, 2021). "Trump congratulates Rittenhouse on acquittal". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-11-21
In a video posted to social media, U.S. House rep Madison Cawthorn (Republican-North Carolina) said the following:
Kyle Rittenhouse is not guilty, my friends. You have a right to defend yourself, so be armed, be dangerous and be moral.
Source:
Lonas, Lexi. (November 19, 2021). "Trump congratulates Rittenhouse on acquittal". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-11-21
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson released the following statement:
The verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case is a travesty and fails to deliver justice on behalf of those who lost their lives as they peacefully assembled to protest against police brutality and violence. Rittenhouse's decision to go to Kenosha and provoke protestors was unwarranted. Moreover, the outcome of this case sets a dangerous precedent. We have seen this same outcome time and time again; a justice system that presents different outcomes based on the race of the accused. This verdict is a reminder of the treacherous role that white supremacy and privilege play within our justice system. In the midst of this disappointing verdict, we must continue to work to ensure that those who seek NAACP President & CEO, Derrick Johnson, Releases Statement on Not Guilty Verdict in Kyle Rittenhouseto harm progress do not find refuge for their illicit acts in a system meant to protect victims.
Source:
Johnson, Derrick. (November 19, 2021). "NAACP President & CEO, Derrick Johnson, Releases Statement on Not Guilty Verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse". naacp.org. Retrieved 2021-11-21
U.S House rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted the following:
What we are witnessing is a system functioning as designed and protecting those it was designed for. My heart still breaks for the communities and families whose grief now compounds, and the countless others who will be denied and deprived in similar scenes across the country.
Source:
Jenkins, Cameron. (November 19, 2021). "Ocasio-Cortez says legal system 'protecting those it was designed for' after Rittenhouse verdict". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-11-22
USA Today published an op-ed written by prominent attorney and legal analyst Jonathan Turley. Here's some of what Turley said:
In rendering its verdict, the jury fulfilled its core function in our legal system. The jury was designed to protect an individual from becoming the grist of a criminal justice system. The American jury is designed to stand between the mob and a defendant; between the government and the accused. The thin line of a dozen citizens can prove the most unassailable wall for justice in our system.
By misrepresenting and not reporting key facts, media increased the likelihood that the acquittal will be read as confirmation of a racist trial in a racist justice system. That fuels the type of rioting that we saw in Kenosha after the shooting of Jacob Blake in a scuffling with police. Ironically, that case was also widely misrepresented in much of the media.
The growing disconnect between actual crimes and their coverage is unlikely to change in our age of rage. Rittenhouse had to be convicted to fulfill the narrative and any acquittal had to be evidence of a racist jury picked to carryout racist justice. That is what occurred in the Rittenhouse trial. The jury stood between a mob and a defendant to see that objective justice was done.
Source:
Turley, Jonathan. (November 19, 2021). "From Kenosha riots to Kyle Rittenhouse trial, biased media coverage makes everyone angrier". USA Today. Retrieved 2021-11-23
Former Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Julius Kim was interviewed by host Judy Woodruff on the PBS Newshour. Here's some of what Kim said:
I think that we could all tell that it was going to be a difficult case as the trial progressed, because we got to see some of the evidence ourselves. And when we put our eyes to the evidence and saw the videos in this case, we realized, whoa, there might be more to this situation than we were first aware of.
The videos in particular show Joseph Rosenbaum pursuing Kyle Rittenhouse right before the first shooting. And, secondly, right before the Anthony Huber shooting and Gaige Grosskreutz shooting, it — the videos showed Kyle Rittenhouse, for all intents and purposes, being attacked, not only by Anthony Huber, but by other people, and that he was in a vulnerable position when Gaige Grosskreutz walked up to him with a handgun in his hand.
I don't think there's any specific precedent as it relates to this case moving forward. But people tend to see verdicts like this as messages. And there are a lot of people, I imagine, that now feel emboldened to march right into the middle of a protest or a riot or whatever you want to call it with an AR-15 because they can. But I think that that's a dangerous thought process, because this was a very, very unique case, in that we had very specific facts in this case. We had video evidence showing exactly what precipitated the shootings in this case, and that might not happen in every situation. And so if people get the notion that they can show up to a protest with a long gun, and that the law will somehow protect them as a matter of course, I think that would be a mistake.
Source:
Kim, Julius. (November 19, 2021). "Does the Rittenhouse acquittal set a precedent? Two experts weigh in". PBS. Retrieved 2021-11-23
Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart was interviewed by host Judy Woodruff on the PBS Newshour. Here's some of what Capehart said:
It'll [the verdict] have an effect on the conversation, in that it focuses the mind on the system that made it possible for a teenager with an illegal gun in a town that was not his own after curfew who shot and killed two people and wounded a third was able to be found not guilty...But there's pain in the Black community because we are seeing how justice is meted out depending on who you are.
And so I think this — the Kyle Rittenhouse just adds to the conversation that we have been having in this country about the role — the role of race, the role of law and the role of the two in holding us back, quite frankly.
I would say in response, I'm not surprised by the verdict, because of the instructions from the judge, because of Wisconsin law, and the law as it pertains to self-defense. I read parts of the statute, and I'm looking at it. And I'm thinking, if I were on that jury, and this was the evidence that was presented to me, and I take my role as a juror seriously, what else am I left to do? But that's not an indictment of the jury. That's an indictment of the law. That is an indictment of — I think of society, in that you can, to your point, take the video and a different narrative shows up. But that then requires you to live in a silo, and not take into account, why on earth was he there in the first place? And he shouldn't have been there. And so while, sure, great, on the law, he should have been released, but that's not how people live. People don't live in silos. And that's why I think people are sort of outraged by this verdict.
Source:
Capehart, Jonathan. (November 19, 2021). "Does the Rittenhouse acquittal set a precedent? Two experts weigh in". PBS. Retrieved 2021-11-23
California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat) tweeted the following:
America today: you can break the law, carry around weapons built for a military, shoot and kill people, and get away with it. That's the message we've just sent to armed vigilantes across the nation.
Source:
Newsom, Gavin. (November 19, 2021). "Gavin Newsom | Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-11-26
In an article published on Newsmax political commentator Patrick Buchanan said the following:
Again, whatever one thinks of Rittenhouse's entering a volatile situation, he emerges as one of the good guys. His actions were taken for commendable goals, whereas his assailants' purposes were to engage in a criminal rampage and riot. This is why Rittenhouse is being so fiercely defended. People sense that whatever he did, the 17-year-old went to Kenosha to do the right thing. Those who believe the Black Lives Matter-antifa riots were justified are the ones who want Rittenhouse to spend the rest of his life in prison -- for shooting rioters who were threatening and attacking him for interfering with their crimes.
Source:
Buchanan, Patrick. (November 19, 2021). "Kyle Rittenhouse: Right and Righteous". Newsmax. Retrieved 2021-11-26
Zeeshan Aleem, an opinion columnist for MSNBC talked about the following three takeaways from the trial:
1. Rittenhouse's case was about self-defense. And it was hard to argue against.
What this means [legal analysis by Barbara McQuade, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School and former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan] is that the jury wasn't rendering a judgment on whether Rittenhouse should've brought a gun with him to Kenosha, whether he had good politics, what precedent his behavior could set, or whether it was appropriate to cosplay a paramedic or a police officer. It was deciding whether at the very moments that he used deadly force could he argue that it was reasonable to believe he was in serious danger of bodily harm or death. And on this front, Rittenhouse — no matter what you think of him as a moral or political actor in a general sense — had a pretty strong case.
2. In an America that wasn't swimming in guns, this would never have happened.
What I find most striking is the way that Rittenhouse argued during the trial that he took a gun to protect himself at the protests; it's obvious that his gun is precisely what made everyone — including himself — less safe...While a gun ostensibly gives an advantage to the gun-wielder, it also heightens their fear of escalation, since losing the gun or misfiring it could result in their own harm. In other words, openly carrying a firearm introduces a perverse logic whereby it makes other people feel less safe and simultaneously increases the chance of violence against those people.
Rittenhouse's judgment regarding bringing and using his gun was catastrophic and should be condemned — and in a sane world, the basis for some form of punishment — but we can't do that without also condemning the society in which he was able to do what he did so easily. This country is awash in more guns than people.
3. Rittenhouse shows the dangers of an alarming vigilante culture.
While these [militia] groups describe themselves as protecting the law, they're generally ragtag groups without training or knowledge of the law, and in many cases it's clear that they cause the very kind of confrontations that they're claiming to try to put an end to. They're claiming for themselves an authority that they lack, and do it on the basis of a political agenda steeped in white racial resentment politics. Rittenhouse's behavior that fateful night is a powerful symbol of the danger of these movements, and the way they intensify social unrest: right-wing militias increase the likelihood of serious violence while purporting to try to put an end to it.
Source:
Aleem, Zeeshan. (November 19, 2021). "Kyle Rittenhouse's not guilty verdict is a symptom of a bigger sickness". MSNBC. Retrieved 2021-11-30
In an opinion piece published by Fox News, Gregg Jarrett said the following:
If Americans actually watched the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse and did not listen to the biased and hyperbolic coverage on MSNBC and CNN, they understood completely Friday's "not guilty" verdicts on all criminal charges.
Prosecutors never had a legitimate homicide case. They should have known that they could never prove their charges beyond a reasonable doubt. All they had to do was examine the reams of video and interview the witnesses. But they didn't do that. They rushed to judgment and indicted Rittenhouse in less than 48 hours because the "woke" mob demanded it. And so did the mainstream media.
Prosecutors never understood their evidence because they never bothered to scrutinize it. During opening statements, they made promises they could not possibly fulfill and ended up contradicting themselves. Their own witnesses undermined the prosecution's case. In the end, the evidence was compelling and convincing that this was a case of self-defense under the law, the leftist media's false narrative notwithstanding.
Source:
Jarrett, Gregg. (November 19, 2021). "Kyle Rittenhouse verdict makes sense if you ignore biased trial coverage on MSNBC, CNN". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-11-30
Commentary:
Based on everything I've read, it's clear that based on the letter of Wisconsin law, Rittenhouse had the legal right to defend himself. Having said that, in my opinion the "letter of the law" doesn't always equate with justice for all.
It's also clear that some in the mainstream media, particularly the liberal media, spread lies about specific facts regarding Rittenhouse and the shooting. This is, unfortunately, a sign of current times and the intense political, cultural, and yes, religious war going on in America. When the media lies we all lose.
If you're a far-right conservative, you might think that Rittenhouse is a "true patriot" for coming to the aid of those threatened by rioters and for putting his own well-being at risk in doing so (as evidenced by the November 23, 2021 introduction of a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives by Marjorie Taylor Greene (Republican-Georgia) to award Kyle Rittenhouse the Congressional Gold Medal for "protecting the community of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) riot on August 25, 2020.").
If you're a liberal, you might ask why a 17-year-old (not old enough to vote or drink alcohol in the state of Wisconsin) is participating in what many view as militia-style activity, carrying an AR-15 firearm no less? You might think that anyone putting themselves in that kind of situation should be at least partly responsible for what happened. You might also be concerned that the verdict sends the wrong message and may serve to embolden those who embrace militia-style activities.
I think that Zeeshan Aleem summed it up rather well in his MSNBC opinion piece (quoted earlier in this post) entitled "Kyle Rittenhouse's not guilty verdict is a symptom of a bigger sickness".
Nov 18, 2021:
Two days ago during a Facebook live stream, Jackson Lahmeyer, a pastor who is running against GOP Senator James Lankford in the 2022 Oklahoma senate primary, called Rittenhouse an "American hero". Lahmeyer also said the following:
They worship a mass murderer. He [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci] belongs in prison. But Kyle Rittenhouse, who defends himself against a convicted pedophile, a convicted woman-beater, is fighting for his life not to go to prison. Our nation is living upside down right now.
Source:
Breslin, Maureen. (November 18, 2021). "GOP Senate candidate says Fauci is 'mass murderer,' should be jailed rather than 'hero' Rittenhouse". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-11-21
Nov 17, 2021:
Rittenhouse lawyers ask judge to declare mistrial over video | Associated Press
Rittenhouse case raises question: What makes a fair trial? | Associated Press
10 heinous lies about Kyle Rittenhouse debunked: Devine | New York Post
The Media's Verdict on Kyle Rittenhouse | substack.com
Progressives' attacks on Rittenhouse betrays their obsession with race | New York Post
Nov 16, 2021:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/damn-the-evidence-convict-the-white-supremacist
Nov 15, 2021:
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/581557-judge-dismisses-misdemeanor-gun-charge-against-rittenhouse
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/581411-rittenhouse-trial-perils-of-weighing-public-opinion-over-evidence
Nov 13, 2021:
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/581391-the-memo-rittenhouse-trial-exposes-deep-us-divide
Nov 12, 2021:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/12/opinions/kyle-rittenhouse-crying-ahmaud-arbery-killed-joseph/index.html
Nov 11, 2021:
Last night, J.D. Vance (Republican-Ohio) appeared on Fox News "Tucker Carlson Tonight". Vance is running for U.S. senator and will be on the 2022 ballot.
During the interview, Vance said the following about the Rittenhouse trial:
I think that it's not a trial, it is child abuse masquerading as justice in this country...This entire trial, this entire farce is an indictment on every institution in our society...I think it suggests that justice in this country is no longer about equal justice under Law. It's all political.
At the end of the interview Vance says that the trial is a "bunch of power-hungry leftists who have decided they are going to use our criminal justice system as a weapon against the people", to which Carlson responds "I think that's exactly right and if you were to pick the weakest in our society the least privileged I think you might pick Kyle Rittenhouse."
Source:
Griffing, Alex. (November 11, 2021). "J.D. Vance Calls Rittenhouse Trial 'Child Abuse Masquerading as Justice'". Mediaite. Retrieved 2021-11-26
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kyle-rittenhouse-takes-witness-stand-rcna5103
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kyle-rittenhouse-was-active-shooter-according-wounded-paramedic-rcna5249
Nov 10, 2021:
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/politics-policy/sobbing-kyle-rittenhouse-won-before-ruling-rcna5114
Nov 5, 2021:
https://www.npr.org/2021/11/05/1053018241/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-first-week-what-happened
Nov 3, 2020:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kyle-rittenhouse-charged-killing-2-kenosha-protesters-has-bond-set-n1245953
Oct 29, 2020:
https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-police-shootings-homicide-kenosha-68d7fffd0e6dd11acc5b5918a93eeef5
Oct 26, 2021:
Prosecutors cannot call those shot by Kyle Rittenhouse 'victims.' But 'looters' is OK | NPR
Great post. Imagine a 17 year old Black male roaming Kenosha with an AR-15 "defending" property and confronting activists. I have little doubt he would have been gunned down and it would have been "justified." Hark back to Oakland, CA circa 1968 with Black Panthers standing nearby with firearms when black motorists were pulled over by generally all White cops. In less than 6 months open carry of firearms was outlawed. This armed vigilante issue is as racist as most other facets of America. That said can anyone think of a society that is not racked by racism?