Republicans Defend Kenosha Shooter, Who Marched with a Nazi Sympathizer and Killed Two People
Republicans from across the country expressed support for Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old militia member accused of shooting three people and killing two during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Rittenhouse was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. He traveled across state lines from Illinois to join militia members marching in Kenosha in opposition to Black Lives Matter protestors. One of the people he marched alongside was a militia member with a history of sharing Nazi propaganda on social media. Republican party officials and politicians nationwide expressed varying degrees of support for Rittenhouse, with many of them claiming he acted in self-defense:
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) tweeted: “If I were on a jury, I would NOT vote to convict Kyle Rittenhouse of any of the charges against him.” He also claimed that Rittenhouse was “running toward the police, fleeing for his life.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon-promoting Republican nominee for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, shared Massie’s initial tweet, repeating his defense and adding her own: “Kyle is a minor. He acted in self defense against violent radical adult men attacking him and threatening his life.” Greene and Rittenhouse share the same attorney: QAnon conspiracy theorist Lin Wood.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) refused to condemn Rittenhouse, instead calling him a “citizen soldier” on CNN.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) amplified a video of Rittenhouse shooting one of his victims, including the original poster’s commentary that Rittenhouse had “good aim.” Gosar added: “The alleged ‘victim’ is clearly seen here sneaking up with handgun drawn in order to murder #KyleRittenhouse in cold blood.” Three days later, Gosar posted that the killing was “100% justified self defense...The criminals here: Kenosha local government that allows the riots.”
The Chairwoman of the Kenosha County Republicans, Erin Decker, told Fox News: “80% of people in the city support what Kyle did,” adding that the other 20% were “probably the people that can’t stand Donald Trump and can’t stand anything conservative of Republican, so they’re just going to attack anything that resembles that.”
The Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives in Maryland, Arthur Love IV, shared offensive memes voicing support for Rittenhouse and mocking Black Lives Matter protestors on social media. Love — whose job included overseeing community service programs, outreach to religious groups, and cultural commissions — was later fired.
Donald Trump also refused to condemn Rittenhouse’s actions. During an August 31 press conference, Trump was asked about Rittenhouse, and replied: “They very violently attacked him, he probably would’ve been killed.”
Donald Trump, Jr. offered a flippant and trivializing comment about Rittenhouse killing two people, saying, “we all do stupid things at 17.”
Right-wing media and far-right groups, ranging from evangelicals to neo-Nazis, have also supported and celebrated Rittenhouse. A College Republicans group at Arizona State University launched a fundraiser to support his legal expenses.