Kyle Rittenhouse verdict: Gun group to ‘award’ AR-15 to teen as defence attorney calls Trump Jr ‘idiot’
Teen acquitted on homicide charges following Kenosha shootings
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Kyle Rittenhouse’s attorney has criticised Republican lawmakers he has accused of trying to capitalise on his client and has called their behaviour “disgusting”.
He also called Donald Trump Jr an “idiot” for supporting an offer by Guns of America to give Mr Rittenhouse a free AR-15 rifle, similar to the one used by Mr Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin on 25 August, 2020.
Mark Richards, who represented Mr Rittenhouse at trial, told Insider: “He’s an idiot. I don’t have to expand on that because it speaks for itself.”
At least three members of Congress have suggested offering internships to Mr Rittenhouse following his acquittal.
“They want to trade on his celebrity and I think it’s disgusting,” Mr Richards told Insider after the verdict.
Protests across the US followed his acquittal, after a jury found him not guilty on all five counts in his homicide trial after four days of deliberations.
Fox News personality Tucker Carlson will interview Mr Rittenhouse on Monday, and the network is set to air a documentary-style film about the trial in December.
Mr Richards told CNN on Friday that he did not approve of a film crew embedding with the legal team.
Justin Wells, a senior executive producer of Tucker Carlson Tonight, told the Associated Press that no payment was made for access, footage rights, legal fees or any other purpose to Mr Rittenhouse or his family.
In a clip from the upcoming documentary showing Mr Rittenhouse after the verdict, he says that “the jury reached the correct verdict. Self-defense in not illegal.”
He continued: “I believe they came to the correct verdict and I’m glad that everything went well.”
Follow the latest updates as they happened live:
To receive our free breaking news alerts direct to your inbox click here
How are commentators reacting to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict
The Kyle Rittenhouse verdict has sent shockwaves through the country, after the 18-year-old was found not guilty on all charges for shooting three people during 2020 racial justice protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Independent has been following the reaction in Kenosha, Washington, Hollywood, and beyond.
Kenosha reacts as Kyle Rittenhouse acquitted of killings
A stunned Kenosha reacts as Illinois teenager found not guilty over August 2020 killing of two men and wounding of another. Sheila Flynn reports from the courthouse
Donald Trump congratulates Kyle Rittenhouse on acquittal
The one-term president has spoken out in support of the teenager
Kamala Harris says Kyle Rittenhouse verdict ‘speaks for itself’
Teenager was acquitted after killing two men and injuring another in Kenosha protests
Furious reaction to verdict as ‘disgusted’ and ‘not surprised’ trend on Twitter
‘I knew Rittenhouse would be acquitted but it is gutting to witness the inevitable’
Squad blasts Kyle Rittenhouse verdict as AOC says ‘my heart breaks’
The New York Democrat says her heart ‘still breaks’ for the families of the men Mr Rittenhouse killed
Who is Jacob Blake, whose shooting triggered the original Kenosha protests?
Kyle Rittenhouse would’ve never been in Kenosha had it not been for the August 2020 shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was severely injured following the incident.
Here’s more on this crucial background for the Rittenhouse case.
No charges brought against Kenosha officer Rusten Sheskey who shot Jacob Blake
No charges will be brought against Mr Blake
DOJ may review Rittenhouse case, its latest probe into a high-profile 2020 civil rights case
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee blasted the verdict released on Friday in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse and called for the Justice Department to review the court decision.
Judiciary chair wants DOJ to review Rittenhouse verdict: ‘A miscarriage of justice’
Nadler, Biden responses show divide among white Democrats over handling of race
It wouldn’t be the first time in recent months the DOJ has probed a high-profile case that arose from last summer’s racial justice uprisings around the country. In May, the Justice Department indicted four former Minneapolis police officers on federal civil rights over the murder of George Floyd.
Four ex-officers in George Floyd death indicted on federal civil rights charges
Mr Chauvin found guilty of murder as Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao await trial on criminal charges
Kyle Rittenhouse verdict shows US ‘addiction’ to white supremacy, Jemele Hill
Sports and culture commentator Jemele Hill said on Friday that Kyle Rittenhouse’s not guilty verdict showed the US’s “addition” to white supremacy. “The Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, that several states have enacted laws that allow motorists immunity if they hit protestors with their cars, is about this country’s addiction to maintaining white supremacy at all costs,” the Atlantic contributor wrote on Twitter. “It’s on brand, and in line with who America always has been.”
Earlier this year we wrote about some of those new anti-protestor laws.
Deona Marie and the epidemic of car attacks against racial justice activists
Forces on the left and right have led to an epidemic of car attacks against racial justice protesters in recent years
Video recirculates of Trump defending Rittenhouse after verdict announced
Video is recirculating of comments Donald Trump made last summer, seeming to defend Kyle Rittenhouse in the immediate aftermath of the 18-year-old shooting three people during racial justice protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like,” Mr Trump says in the August 2020 clip. “I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed.”
Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett says ‘the law has to be changed’
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has issued a statement regarding the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict. He said: “How can we as a society tell an individual, put yourself in a place that’s inherently dangerous, and you can kill someone?” “Without a doubt, laws have to be changed so that its clear that underage children cannot bring semi-automatic weapons into the public,” he added. “I think what happened there was horrible, it was tragic, and we as a society cannot allow this.” The mayor concluded: “We have to peacefully move forward”.
Rittenhouse says jury reached correct verdict in Fox video clip
A video clip, aired on Friday night on the Fox news programme “Tucker Carlson Tonight”, showed Kyle Rittenhouse speaking from inside a car directly after he was found not guilty of all charges.
He is asked by the cameraman how he was feeling and replied: “The jury reached the correct verdict. Self-defense in not illegal.”
He continued: “I believe they came to the correct verdict and I’m glad that everything went well.
“It’s been a rough journey, but we made it through it. We made it through the hard part.”
His remarks come from a documentary programme filmed for the series “Tucker Carlson Original”.
Kyle Rittenhouse will appear on Carlon’s Fox News show on November 22 and the documentary shall be aired next month.
Fox news promised in a statement that “the documentary will include additional portions of the interview as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Rittenhouse and his defense team.”
In the video trailer for the documentary, Kyle Rittenhouse confesses that he had been having dreams about what happened “every single night”.
He added: “It’s quite scary, actually, because the dreams feel so real and they’re not the same at all.
“They’re all different. They’re the different scenarios that run through your head during the daylight of what could’ve happened... It’s bad, but almost every outcome is me getting seriously injured or hurt or dead.”
Wisconsin state assembly speaker Robin Vos says case is ‘proof that our justice system works’
Wisconsin’s state assembly speaker Robin Vos has said that the Rittenhouse verdict is proof that “our justice system works.”
“Today’s unanimous verdict may be shocking for some, but for many others, it is proof that our justice system works. The right to a trial by a jury of your peers is a fundamental part of the checks and balances in our country,” he tweeted.
“Let’s hope politicians and activists who disagree with the verdict don’t use this as an opportunity to sew more division and destruction in our community,” he added.
He concluded by urging “peace and unity” over “violence and destruction”.
Rebecca Kleefisch, who is running to be the Governor of Wisconsin, also wrote: “Our justice system worked today. The prosecution in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial was a complete disgrace, praising the mob who burned our streets as ‘heroes.’”
Protests spring up after Kyle Rittenhouse is acquitted on all counts
Small groups of protesters demonstrated against the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict on Friday night in Chicago, New York, Portland and a number of other cities.
Demonstrations around the country were peaceful, with the exception of Portland were some windows were broken and doors damaged.
In Portland, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office declared a riot near the Multnomah County Justice Centre, with the facilities being damaged by protesters.
Several dozen people gathered in downtown in Chicago to protest the jury’s verdict. A number of protesters also gathered outside the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York.
In Columbus, Ohio, around 100 protesters joined a march and gathered outside the statehouse, according to a video posted online by the Ohio State University student newspaper.
ICYMI: Biden angry after Kyle Rittenhouse cleared of shootings
US President Joe Biden has said that he is angry and concerned after Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of intentional homicide in a trial that has gripped America.
The teenager shot dead two men during racial unrest last year in Wisconsin.
The president told reporters that he supported the jury’s decision to find Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges. He told them: “I stand by what the jury has concluded. The jury system works and we have to abide by it.”
But he later released a statement saying: “While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken.”
Read the full statement here:
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.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.