Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges but his legal nightmare likely isn’t over yet. It’s possible that he may be tied up with civil lawsuits for the foreseeable future. I have a suggestion for him – sue Joe Biden.
Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree reckless homicide, use of a dangerous weapon; first-degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon; first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon; attempted first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon; first-degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon; possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18; failure to comply with an emergency order from state or local government. The last two were misdemeanor charges. To say that the media coverage of Rittenhouse’s case was biased against him is an understatement. If you haven’t read John’s post on media coverage, I encourage you to do so. The media should be held accountable and I hope Rittenhouse pursues civil lawsuits against them, just as Nick Sandmann did.
It is important is for Rittenhouse to hold elected officials responsible for the malicious hot takes they have spewed forth against him. The first civil lawsuit filed should be against Joe Biden. Biden lumped Rittenhouse in with white supremacists in a video during his presidential campaign. Biden was not president, he was a private citizen running for elected office. He can be sued and he should be sued, if for no other reason than to send a message.
A video ad paid for by Biden for President ran after the debate between Biden and Trump hosted by Chris Wallace. The Biden ad is a montage of various groups, including the tiki torch klansmen and Rittenhouse’s photo is flashed among the mix.
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. pic.twitter.com/Q3VZTW1vUV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 30, 2020
When Biden launched his presidential campaign, he said the reason he decided to run was that the Charlottesville protest was the final straw for him. Whatever. Biden has been running since 1988 so we’ll take that with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, his campaign was to offer him up as a return to normal, to bring Americans together, and to bring back civility in public discourse. As with everything, he’s a failure. Using Kyle Rittenhouse in his campaign ad to politicize a criminal court case was inexcusable. He needs to answer for that, especially in light of Rittenhouse’s acquittal on all charges.
Biden answered a reporter’s question about the verdict after returning to the White House from his medical exam. He said the jury system worked. When asked if he stood by the video posted on Twitter during his campaign about white supremacists, Biden said, “I stand by what the jury has concluded.” Later his office released a statement in more depth for him.
While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken. My full statement: https://t.co/mx51kR6ZUh
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 19, 2021
He’s angry and concerned, he said. Biden is supposed to be a law school graduate and his lack of understanding about a case over the right to self-defense, as well as the basic principle of innocent until proven guilty, is chilling. He’s now the most powerful man in the world and this is the best we get? What happened to unity and civility, Joe?
Kamala also weighed in. Does she really want to bring up her own history of working in the criminal justice system? Maybe sit this one out, Kamala.
Today’s verdict speaks for itself. I've spent a majority of my career working to make our criminal justice system more equitable. It’s clear, there’s still a lot more work to do.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) November 20, 2021
I think Biden should at the very least apologize for butting in on an active case and using it for political gain.
Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki implied that Rittenhouse is a vigilante.
“What I’m not going to speak to right now is an ongoing trial nor the president’s past comments. What I can reiterate for you is the president’s view that we shouldn’t have, broadly speaking, vigilantes patrolling our communities with assault weapons,” she said.
Senator Tom Cotton tweeted that a public apology is in order.
Joe Biden needs to publicly apologize to Kyle Rittenhouse.
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) November 19, 2021
Don’t hold your breath, Senator. Biden is a thin-skinned old man who refuses to admit he is wrong about anything. In his mind, he’s the smartest guy in the room. He should not have used the case in his campaign.
A Twitter friend summed it up.
Why would any president comment on a state criminal trial that he admittedly didn’t even watch, much less express "anger" and "concern" in a situation where riots are already a real risk? Why is he undermining the jury system and, once again, the rule of law?
— Ken Gardner (@KenGardner11) November 19, 2021
Other politicians weighed in, too, after the verdict was announced. Just like the trial coverage by most media outlets, it was all hot garbage.
The Governor of Wisconsin called for peace, not violence. Too bad he didn’t act sooner when Kenosha was on fire during the Summer of Love.
“No ruling today changes our reality in Wisconsin that we have work to do toward equity, accountability, and justice that communities across our state are demanding and deserve,” Evers wrote. “We must be unwavering in our promise to build a state where every kid, person, and family can live their life free of violence and have every chance to be successful.”
The Mayor of Kenosha delivered the same kind of message.
“The jury in the Rittenhouse case has announced its verdict, and I join Kenosha’s community leaders in calling for calm. We all may not agree because we all look at the world differently, but we must engage in civil and respectful dialog.”
“We all look at the world differently” is an interesting take on the situation. Liberals are all about claims of self-protection when it’s fighting against cops and law enforcement.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the verdict is a miscarriage of justice. He calls for DOJ to review the case.
This heartbreaking verdict is a miscarriage of justice and sets a dangerous precedent which justifies federal review by DOJ. Justice cannot tolerate armed persons crossing state lines looking for trouble while people engage in First Amendment-protected protest. https://t.co/Uh95Uc1Ddo
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) November 19, 2021
As I said, Joe Biden should be held accountable and explain why he jumped into this case in the first place. Why is Biden voicing anger at the verdict if not to be divisive? In one of the few times Biden left his basement during the presidential campaign, he traveled to Kenosha to meet with the family of Jacob Blake. Biden visited with Jacob Blake, too, as though he was an innocent victim.
The families of the three men involved in the case will likely sue Rittenhouse. He’s been the beneficiary of successful fundraisers for his legal defense and they will likely go for a piece of that. GoFundMe took down a fundraising page for Kyle but now says fundraisers for him will be allowed back on the site. The site released a statement explaining why it was removed and why it is now ok on its site.
In its statement, GoFundMe said that its terms of service “prohibit raising money for the legal defense of an alleged violent crime,” so “once charges for violent crime were brought against Kyle Rittenhouse in 2020,” they removed all of them.
“If someone is acquitted of those charges, as Rittenhouse was today, a fundraiser started subsequently for their legal defense and other expenses would not violate this policy,” the statement went on to say. “A fundraiser to pay lawyers, cover legal expenses or to help with ongoing living expenses for a person acquitted of those charges could remain active as long as we determine it is not in violation of any of our other terms and, for example, the purpose is clearly stated and the correct beneficiary is added to the fundraiser.”
The linked article references other criminal cases where the defendants raised money on the site but you know the drill. The media delivered the narrative that the far left demands and that’s all that mattered. He should start holding people accountable now. I’ll end this with what Rittenhouses’s lawyer had to say about Biden’s involvement in the case.
Kyle Rittenhouse’s attorney Mark Richards slammed President Biden for calling the now jury-cleared 18-year-old a “white supremacist” and saying things “so incorrect and untrue” about his client on the campaign trail.
“I’ve never had a case, I don’t think I ever will, where within two days or three days of one another, you know, the President and the presidential candidate comment on it. And both of them had such different beliefs,” Richards said.
“President Biden said some things, I think are so incorrect and untrue — he is not a white supremacist. I’m glad that he at least respects the jury verdict.”
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