Many are going to be shocked if Kyle Rittenhouse is acquitted of murder charges in Wisconsin thanks to the media pushing its own narrative instead of just reporting the facts. Those who actually watch the trial are surprisingly seeing a different story than what is "reported" in the media. Several commentators on the liberal side have even changed their minds. Highly – respected George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley provided a penetrating yet concise explanation of what has been taking place in the courtroom. In a nutshell, the prosecution's case fell apart last week but one would not know it if watching just CNN. Legal insurrection.com has been providing thorough daily coverage of the trial - no surprise as the website is run by a Cornell law professor. Back to Dr. Turley.
Dr. Turley recognizes the narrative pushed by the the media in the months leading up to the trial:
Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, on Aug. 25, 2020, during rioting in Kenosha, Wis., following a fatal police shooting. He also wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27.
The still photos of Rittenhouse walking on a street with an AR-15 rifle strapped to his back triggered widespread outrage. Then-presidential candidate Joe Biden labeled Rittenhouse a “white supremacist” in a tweet showing his photo and demanded to know why then-President Trump did not “disavow white supremacists.”
The prosecutors jumped right in as they fired a full battery of charges at young Rittenhouse:
Prosecutors sought to quell the public outrage by charging Rittenhouse, 17, on Aug. 28. He was charged as an adult with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree attempted intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. While charged as an adult on the murder counts, he also was charged with possessing a weapon while under the age of 18.
However, at some point the case has to go to trial and go to trial it did. The prosecution forgot to do its homework and paid dearly for its sloppiness:
What is most striking about the trial is that, even more than a year later, prosecutors seem to be learning critical details at the same time as the jury. A strikingly different image of the victims and shootings quickly emerged. There also were glaring prosecution blunders, including a potentially case-ending violation of a court order — and long-standing constitutional law — in using Rittenhouse’s post-arrest silence against him.Yes, you read that correctly. Prosecutors tried to use the kid's exercise of his Fifth Amendment rights against him – a big no-no in court. There happens to be a whole body of jurisprudence on self – incrimination. The judge went off on the prosecutors for it.
Professor Turley pointed out the numerous holes in the prosecution's case:
From the outset, Rosenbaum, 36, was portrayed as a menacing, violent actor. A convicted child molester, he was described by various witnesses as threatening Rittenhouse and others and engaging in random violence. At one point, Rosenbaum pushed a burning dumpster into a police cruiser with officers inside. Prosecutors tried to rehabilitate him, with disastrous results. They called Richard McGinnis, a journalist who was next to Rittenhouse when he shot Rosenbaum. One prosecutor confronted McGinnis and declared, “You have no idea what Mr. Rosenbaum was thinking at any point of his life. You have never been inside his head. You never met him before.” McGinnis shrugged and said he “never exchanged words with him, if that’s what your question is.” The prosecutor then pressed further, saying McGinnis had no idea what Rosenbaum was thinking because it “is complete guesswork, isn’t it?” McGinnis dryly responded, “Well, he said, 'F--k you' and reached for [Rittenhouse’s] weapon.” (KF: Remember the courtroom joke about spitting out the ear?)
Witnesses described Rosenbaum as brandishing a chain and threatening to kill others.
Prosecutors then asked Rosenbaum’s girlfriend, Kariann Swart, if he had taken medication earlier on the day he was shot. That “opened the door” for the defense to ask Swart what the medication was for, and she revealed that Rosenbaum suffered from bipolar disorder and depression.
Grosskreutz fared little better. He admitted under cross-examination that Rittenhouse did not shoot him when he had his hands up after a confrontation. Instead, he admitted, Rittenhouse shot only after Grosskreutz pointed his own 9mm handgun at Rittenhouse’s head.The jury heard how Rittenhouse was chased as Huber struck him repeatedly with a skateboard and someone else hit him in the head with a rock.
Even the prosecution’s medical witness proved beneficial to the defense after he admitted forensic evidence would support claims that Rosenbaum was grabbing the barrel of Rittenhouse's rifle when he fired. (KF: There was muzzle smoke on his hands that strongly indicated he grabbed the barrel of the rifle before it was fired.) Rest of column.
Legal Insurrection's William Jacobson gave an even better summary of what transpired in court this week:
One of the deceased, Joseph Rosenbaum, was a clearly violent person who had threatened to kill Rittenhouse, chased him down and went to grab Rittenhouse’s rifle when shot. The other dead man, Anthony Huber, was beating Rittenhouse with a skateboard in a swinging manner when shot. (KF note: There are numerous cases where skateboards have been used to kill people.)
Gaige Grosskreutz, who was wounded, admitted under cross-examination that he ran after Rittenhouse and closed the gap (but denied he was “chasing” him) — and that Rittenhouse only fired on him when Grosskreutz lowered his loaded Glock pistol to point directly at Rittenhouse from three feet away.
Most of this evidence came out of the prosecution case. When the defense called him to testify, Rittenhouse stuck to the same story witnesses told. Rest of column.
How bad was the prosecution's case? In what was a comical scene, a defense witness testified prosecutors tried to get him to change his statement.
Unfortunately, most people don't have time To watch the trial every day but must instead rely on so-called reporters and unscrupulous headline writers to get their coverage of the trial. Many reporters are merely looking for facts to fit the narratives they've already created instead of following the courtroom bread trail wherever it may lead.
This is why advocacy journalism can be dangerous. Such "journalism" can be used to whip up the mob and intimidate prosecutors into bogus prosecutions. More than a few people would like to kill this young man based solely on what they saw in the media for the last year. If acquitted, the young man will forever have to look over his shoulder.
Make no mistake, young Rittenhouse was brain – dead stupid for putting himself in harm's way. He may have been 17 but he is getting some adult lessons he should not have had to learn. If acquitted, he will live with the fact that he killed two people even if in self-defense. Such burdens do not ease, if they ever ease at all. Ask any combat vet or police officer. However, being in the wrong place at the wrong time does not mean one should be placed at the mercy of the mob and that my friends, is the bottom line.
60 comments:
"advocacy journalism" is a nice term for defamation.
He murdered no one and clearly defended himself. With that said and i'm saying this because I got boys his age who are of like mind. Democracy can no longer be saved and they are gonna fry this kid today and if they don't then the city burns and more lives are lost. Take care of your own ! People no longer deserve your help and this is a fact. We have dug a hole too deep folks. WE have allowed this element to fester like a boil. And we know what happens to a festered boil. America is on life support and it is OUR fault. I served my country and 30 short years later it's dead.
The news media will decide if he is guilty. Hell, it has already decided.
If we can depend on the news media to pick our president why should we worry about a trial. Just let the news media do the job they have taken away from the citizens. Everything will be great. People will not have to worry. Any decisions we need to make will now be made by the news media.
I absolutely agree the trial should be embarrassing to Wisconsin.
I agree the media coverate was less that stellar. That includes the fact that qhile Rittenhouse was hyperventilating deliberately and rubbing his eyes as hard as possible, there was no "sobbing"as there were no tears! His face should have been so wet he needed a towel. He's too young for dry eye, people.
And, of course, let's not forget all the lies he told to put himself in harm's way with an assault rifle at age 17. He wouldn't have had to " protect himself" had his parents kept control of him and hadn't raised a fool. I think, since he's so fired up to play action hero, his punishment should be joining the Marines or 2 years in prison. He'd find prison easier to handle.
The State of Wisconsin is the loser in this case.
And, yeah, recording it and suffering through it is better than getting it second hand.
Just let the news media do the job they have taken away from the citizens.
Well, they are the smartest people in our society. At least that is what Donner (and now Pittman, Judin, Ganucheau, Harrison, Pender, Ramsey, et al) tell us.
No black people will be shocked. Another instance of white people doing white people things.
You grab my gun, I will shoot you! Where was the Police? First of all, I wouldn’t have been out there(asking for trouble)! Mom, did he ask permission to go?
As a Black man in America that has served this Great Country’s Military for over 36 years, I’ll say this fool is guilty of being real stupid and fired in self defense!
You live by the sword, you die by it! Self Defense!! Final Answer. No politics involved.
Binger is one slimy son of a bitch.
Standing by for looting and burning in blue cities in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Hope Andy Gno with body guards to film the nasties after verdict.
What we have here is the new jury nullification , threaten to riot and burn a city to the ground if an innocent is found innocent. I feel there is a good chance that the jury will find him guilty regardless of the evidence, so they can "save the city" and put it off on the court of appeals. Just look at how the ADA tried to throw the case so he could blame the "L" on the courts.
I’m wondering how much they’re going to pay the Craigslist Protesters for this one? I’m enjoying all the Forever Victimhood Clowns claiming White Supremacy when all 3 victims were White. I guess you never let a bad situation go to waste.
1:39. Red Cities? Like Moscow, Beijing, or Pyeonchang?
12:29's total take-away seems to be that he's guilty of possession of a firearm at the tender age of 17 and therefore should fry. What a maroon.
I like how the media tries to portray this as a racial thing. They are calling him a white supremacist. For F's sake he shot 3 white people! They wont unrest. They want cities to burn. And they will call you names for not wanting it.
Also, the DA is a complete DA. Have you seen the video/pictures of him pointing the AR-15 at people in the courtroom and had his finger on the trigger? That is gun safety rule #1. Always assume it is loaded, don't point at others, keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. This is a political witch hunt. He will skate and pull an OJ. "If they glove don't fit". Kenosha will burn. People with no jobs or anything better to do will be trying to tell those who actually contribute to society what they are doing wrong. Rinse, wash, repeat.
Unfortunately, guilt or innocence is too often determined not by an objective assessment of facts,but based on who the perpetrators and victims are perceived to be. I doubt many will be shocked if he is acquitted. The judge set the tone for an acquittal from the start. The question is, will he be found guilty of lesser charges. As for the state bracing for riots based on an acquittal verdict, those who disagree, should for once be smart and use good judgement. Indiscriminate violence and property damage does nothing to right a perceived wrong. It only gives fodder to those who claim there was no wrong done by the accused to begin with.
It looks a lot like the classic example of asking one too many questions: "Did you see the defendant bite the victim's ear off? No. Then how do you know he did it? I saw him spit it out."
I'd like to have some candid conversations with the local attorneys up there and hear what's going on. Maybe the D.A.'s office is just so used to getting their way they forgot how to actually prepare a case. Maybe they didn't really want to try it to begin with. I bet there is absolutely more to this than meets the eye (and ear).
Even white supremacists are allowed to defend themselves, although they will still face the ultimate judgement like everyone else and there will be some explaining to do. May this thug POS never sleep easy again.
So, the stage has been set here for Mike Tyson and Alec Baldwyn to star in the movie.
How do you turn a right handed guy into a leftie? Point your pistol at Kyle while he is on the ground.
Not one liberal is happy he killed 3 pieces of trash. Child molesters, felons with guns. Nope, just the white kid with an "automatic weapon". The news media doesn't know the difference between an automatic weapon or semi auto. That Rachel Maddow fella is about to become unhinged when Rittenhouse skates.
Rittenhouse used poor judgement, like most 17 year olds do, for putting himself in that position. Based on the facts that we have heard, I believe he acted in self-defense and should be found non-guilty. It's a shame that they can convict him for being stupid. And the governor of Wisconsin should activate the National Guard to meet the rioters and looters with deadly force. Until we as a country decide that anarchy is absolutely unacceptable, then the senseless bullshit will continue. Any who exactly benefits from cities being destroyed.........nobody!!
I really like the testimony from Grosskreutz (the one who tried to kill Rittenhouse with a pistol).
You could tell he got a good dose of receiving what he was trying to dish out. His statement about Rittenhouse "vaporizing his bicep" was especially entertaining since his bicep would still be intact had he not tried to shoot Rittenhouse with a Glock.
I doubt Grosskreutz and his ear lobe pieces will be at the next riot. His days of being a leftist protestor are gone along with his bicep.
The kid went there to render aid and to put out the fires. Rioters didn’t care for him doing that and attempted to make an example out of him. It didn’t work. And yet somehow there’s some people here who believe that getting your ass beat with a skateboard, fists and kicks to the face are something you should expect if you protect someone else’s property during mob violence. He should be found not guilty and then he should sue the piss out of news outlets who lied and smeared his name. Mr. Sandman opened that door and CNN and MSNBC will pay heavily!!
You have lost your way kingfish, enjoy your life in the minority, we won’t forget !!!
He is not going to get away, the Feds are waiting for his behind, he killed and he has to pay, self defense ????
I am glad Kingfish finally showed his true colors with his retarded take on the young patriot named Kyle Rittenhouse.
Kyle was not stupid at all. He went to Kenosha more informed about the violent Marxists than any of you NPCs.
The Kenosha Kid has been a hero among patriots long before most of you even learned his name from the MSM.
5:20: What the hell is that supposed to mean, except as a vague threat of retaliation?
If you are either far left or far right, YOU are in the minority. Or are you talking about race? In that case, I doubt KF had anything to do with you learning to hate white people, or black people, or whoever it is you think caused your problems.
This guy will need protective custody, he’s going to go it’s just a matter of how long
If the liberal Democrat leaders in these cities would have stopped the burning and looting etc. like they should have we wouldn’t be having this conversation!
Who exactly do y'all think is gonna riot when he's found not guilty? Certainly not black people. We had our team meeting, we decided we're sitting this one out.
Why sure, lots of benevolent people grab an assault rifle, cross the state line to go to a protest, and then “protect” a business nobody asked them to guard, including the owner of the business. This 17 year old miscreant went their to shoot somebody and then did so, shooting not one, not two, but three people “in self defense,” while shooting at and missing a fourth person. If I ever have to shoot somebody in self defense, I will be running as fast as I can away, not sticking around to shoot more people.
Oh and the medic BS the defense lawyers made up? Please. This murderer did not lift a finger to give medical attention to a single one of his victims.
The one thing I do agree with from the far right people who comment on this site is that the prosecutors messed up their case. If he’s acquitted, the prosecutors have themselves to blame, although the Judge being so unabashedly pro-defense has been nauseating.
The thing about self defense is that you can’t place yourself in harms way and then claim self defense when harm is imminent. If my son asked me to go to a neighboring state to defend someone else property I’d say no, that’s what police are for. Let them do their job. There’s no way I’d allow him to place his life on the line, at 17, defending someone else’s property. He was not innocent and the jury should consider that he was aware of and accepted the danger/risk.
He is innocent, but may be sacrificed to the god of riots.
Turley is a whacko.
He has zero credibility….
The left hate Kyle because he is a patriot who used an AR15 to protect his country from two violent marxists.
The Right loves Kyle because he is a patriot who used an AR15 to protect his country from two violent marxists.
Kyle is fixin' to cash in because of all of the slander and libel that the MSM has been putting out for months; "white supremacist" for example, when everyone involved was...wait for it...white.
There’s a possibility that he could be found not guilty of the remaining charges, but this was not legal self defense. He defended himself as anyone should. The DA should be ashamed of himself for halfassing this whole ordeal, although the judge literally hamstrung this trial in favor of the defense.
Rittenhouse as a 17 year old isn’t able to fully grasp in a split second what killing a man does entirely. This is what gave him the advantage to kill without hesitation.
If Rittenhouse is completely innocent then his accomplice is also innocent of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His mother should also be having weekly visits from CPS for the remaining siblings safety.
Yes he defended himself, but he still has to be held accountable if he did so illegally.
A certain someone keeps calling this kid a hero and thinks he should get a school named after him. Why ? He unknowingly rid the world of a convicted pervert/pedo which is cool. He was just a kid that had bitten off more than he could chew. I hope he is found not guilty but PLEASE quit calling him a damn hero.
I have finally come to the conclusion that the founding principle of individual rights has been abandoned by the left. The individual is not supreme, the collective trumps the individual. Fairness and fact do not matter. If ruining your life is perceived to be of benefit to the collective, so be it. That's what allows these POS to sleep at night knowing they are doing an absolutely wrong thing or rooting for a wrongful conviction. If they perceive their actions are successfully moving the collective agenda forward, they think of themselves as a hero. They perceive this as a war where casualties of the innocent are part of the struggle. They have no shame.--pitiful and sad for us all
Why do you people display fake outrage over a high-profile case when people are killing other people every single day of your lives? Regardless of whether Rittenhouse is found guilty or not guilty, the murders will continue. If you ask me, the majority of you just like to hear yourselves talk and/or believe your opinions to be more important than they are. Kingfish lives in Mississippi where the homicide rate has skyrocketed yet he’s posting about some fake homicides in Wisconsin. If the “victims” pointed weapons or attempted to cause bodily harm to Rittenhouse then they should be dead.
Duh.
9:01 AM
How does one defend themselves illegally, as you say? What you’re saying makes no sense. If you were a member of the jury I’d bet my life that you’d be the one to hang it. Rittenhouse is either guilty of murder or he isn’t. The end.
10:00 -- broaden your sources.
He did not cross state lines.
Wisconsin is an open carry state.
He had the right to have a weapon in a dangerous situation.
The AR15 in his possession is not considered an assault weapon.
He did run away, multiple times. It's on video.
He did administer first aid, as indicated in the DA cross-ex.
All shots were in defense of violent acts against his person.
The people he shot were the miscreants.
Everyone claiming that he isn’t a SWS should brush up on their history.
Whites that were Black adjacent during abolitionist movements and the Civil Rights Era et al faced the possibility of being met with lethal force from…
It sure as hell wasn’t white supreme pizza.
If he wasn’t a SWS before the shootings, he sure is now. It’s who he is indebted to.
Hardly anyone is slandering the deceased, because they are dead. Have at GG, he was extremely stupid to get within striking distance of KR with a pistol in hand.
I know that many commenters are marxist sympathizers but I am beginning to wonder if the author of this blog is also a marxist sympathizer. He is definitely an apologist of the left.
tbh the only good marxist is a dead marxist so Kyle did this country a great service.
10:18pm, The thing about self defense is that you can’t place yourself in harms way and then claim self defense when harm is imminent
What about the thugs who were shot? Is it alright for them to place themselves in such a place? Why isn't their own fault for placing themselves in harms way? Take a real good look at who got shot. A child rapist, a felon with a gun who was trying to shoot another person, a man who had already attacked another man was still trying to kill him.
Watching people debate this case has made me lose all faith in humanity.
Emotions now dictate legal matters.
And media slant determines guilt or innocence.
I highly recommend a plan to avoid other humans/large public gatherings/political activist events (as much as possible) and just let the low IQ folks murder each other so we can get the country back.
People already protesting outside the courtroom trying to demand a guilty charge. What a bunch of losers. Do these people not have jobs, a family, livelihoods to where they have several days to stand in the cold and demand a guilty verdict on something most of them know nothing about, nor a law degree? Those are the people trying to tell the courts what to do? Laughable at best.
@11:29
You know that people have PTO/Vacation, work at night, or it could be their days off. It could be a rotation of people and not the same ones each day. I rue the day that we as Americans cannot protest regardless if you are on the left or the right.
It seems to me that the extreme left and right are destroying this country. The name calling of marxist or fascist or whatever the term of the day is... it is all getting old. Grow the f**k up and quit being the servants of the elites that have us fighting each other as they laugh from their perches - looking down upon us like frothy-mouth idiots that fight against our own best interests. Wake the f**k up, instead of being woke or on some conspiracy bullsh*t. "Kill" your masters instead of continuing to serve them. This country needs a revolution. This is not the America any of us want!
2:04 : Amen.
2:04 = Like x one million
Thank you for proving some sane people still exist and that the loud loons are not the only people left.
There is no "extreme right", you have been programmed. And there is no moral equivalence here, zero.
If the liberal Democrat leaders in these cities would have stopped the burning and looting etc. like they should have we wouldn’t be having this conversation!
Who the hell deputized Rittenhouse to serve as a peace officer in another city, in another state!? At the ripe old age of 17?
He had no business being there. He killed two people. Period. He should be held accountable
How would Rittenhouse know it was a dangerous situation when the media said it was a mostly peaceful protest.
@10:11AM
If what your first sentence says is to be true then Rittenhouse, after the “victim” pointed his weapon, quickly ran and stood in front of the weapon. Instead of you saying Rittenhouse defended his life by killing the “victim,” you posted one of the most off-the-wall statements I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Who places themselves in harm’s way? The “victim” POINTED HIS WEAPON. If you tell it, the next thing you’ll be saying is Rittenhouse can’t really say for sure that the “victim” was planning to pull the trigger.
RIP Young Dolph.
@10:11AM
My reply was meant for 10:18PM, not you. We’re replying to the same off-the-wall comment.
'He had no business being there.'
If that's one of the charges, I missed it. Since when is somebody's notion of whether or not I have any business being somewhere part of a legal consequence?
So, the man should rot in jail because he's young, was in another state and had no business being where he was. You sound like a quality juror.
It's really disturbing that society is so degraded now that they view wanting to help fellow human beings and even willing to put yourself in harms way to do so as not just a suckers play, but worthy of condemnation.
This kid went out and put out fires and then when he was attacked for doing so, he showed pretty incredible trigger discipline. Refraining from shooting the Grosskreutz when he was running at him with a gun and then put his hands up, and then only pulling the trigger after Grosskreutz pointed his gun at him was pretty damn impressive. Probably better than most policemen would do.
It certainly wasn't in his best interest to be out there that night, but society can't make it if people only act in their best interests. We wouldn't have people voluntarily enroll in armed forces for any front line jobs. I'm sure the kid isn't perfect and is probably not a hero, but if just 10% of male adults acted like he did, we'd have had fewer deaths and billions of dollars less in damage from the riots over the past few years.
If "he had no business being there" is grounds for prosecution then a whole lot of Jackson thugs got erroneously blessed in a court of law.
I am not sure who gets to define this new law, but I would think anyone not in bed by midnight now faces jail time.
Now police, do your damn job!
That childish wannabe hero in Wisconsin is a great example of why carrying firearms in town is asking for trouble. If he had killed a plain clothes cop who approached him with a hand gun what then?
Would those who have posted to support that mental midget really feel safer if his company? Whatever happened to Zimmerman is the likely path for this hero as well.
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