Kyle Rittenhouse recounts Kenosha riots, reacts to media portrayal of trial in first interview since acquittal

In an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Kyle Rittenhouse spoke about the night of the Kenosha Riots that led to his arrest, as well as his possible jury acquittal and the angry reaction from mainstream media and Democrats, including President Biden.

The 18-year-old Rittenhouse was acquitted of the deaths of two men, Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, as well as the wounding of Gaige Großkreutz, which he shot through the right bicep, after the demonstrator pointed a gun at him.

Rittenhouse told Carlson that he was staying with a friend during the Kenosha Riots and that he was confused and concerned about the lack of resources made available to police to quell the violence following the shooting of Jacob Blake.

“I don’t know exactly where [the police presence] was because they sure had a tough job – but I didn’t really think they were getting the support they needed, “he said.

“The governor, Tony Evers, has let the community down and there should have been a lot more resources to help.”

Evers, a Democrat, was criticized by several observers at the time, including then-President Donald Trump, for his perceived inaction when the city of Wisconsin was gripped by violence.

Kyle Rittenhouse, center, walks into the courtroom with attorneys Mark Richards (left) and Corey Chirafisi for a meeting convened by Judge Bruce Schroeder at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Police authorities across the country said they would ensure the right to peaceful protest following his acquittal on Friday.
(Sean Krajacic / The Kenosha News)

Rittenhouse remembered the first time he saw Rosenbaum, whom he found he had never met, and was amazed at the man’s violent nature.

Rosenbaum, a convicted child molester, also seemed to unsettle rioters in the area at the time, Rittenhouse said.

“There was actually a second time [I encountered him and] He said to the group he said this is the second time he has threatened to kill everyone.

When asked by Carlson, Rittenhouse remarked that the rioters “distanced themselves from him because he spat the N-word around and they didn’t want to concern themselves with him.”

He then told of the events that led to his shooting the three men, including Huber, who hit him on the head with a skateboard.

Rittenhouse described how, after the shootings, he tried unsuccessfully to surrender to Kenosha police officers who were stationed at a barricade in the street from which the incident occurred.

WATTERS: BIDEN’S CONFLICTING RITTENHOUSE REACTION REVEALS “HIS DOLL MASTERS RECEIVED IT”

An officer told him to “go home,” which teenage Carlson probably said because he did not hear him shoot the rioters.

“I’ll go back to CarSource Lot number 2 and tell everyone what happened there. I said, ‘I had to do it.’ I was just attacked. I was dizzy. I had to vomit. I couldn’t breathe, “he said.” We couldn’t – I wanted to go to the police in Kenosha, but I couldn’t because they weren’t accepting visitors, apparently with the barricades and the fence, so we ended up with the police Antioch made. “.”

Rittenhouse said his hometown police department, south of the state line, is the closest law enforcement agency to Kenosha, along with that town’s barracks.

Attorney L. Lin Wood speaks during an election results press conference in Alpharetta, Ga., Dec. 2, 2020. REUTERS / Elijah Nouvelage – RC2AFK9OXUW5
(Reuters)

The now acquitted man went on to say that he was not inherently political and that “opportunists” had taken advantage of him.

“I agree with the BLM movement. I agree that everyone has the right to protest and assemble – but I disagree that people have the right to burn down … American cities to try to get their message across, “he said. “I think there are other ways to go around and do that.”

Rittenhouse also criticized his first attorney, high profile attorney L. Lincoln Wood and his co-adviser John Pierce, who he said had taken advantage of him and were at times incompetent.

“I was in jail for 87 days. Lin Wood raised money on my behalf and he held me in jail for 87 days – disobeying my wishes, taking me to media interviews that I should never have done … with John Pierce; she said I was safer in prison than at home with my family. “

Rittenhouse said Pierce once claimed he was part of an “unorganized militia” which Rittenhouse described as “obviously wrong”.

“I didn’t know what a ‘militia’ was.

FILE – In this January 8, 2021 file photo, President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware (AP Photo / Susan Walsh, File)

“I thought what the heck, and I’m like, no wonder people say I’m in a militia. It’s because he painted this story that he should never have gone either,” he told Carlson.

However, the 18-year-old conversely praised his future advisors Mark Richards and Corey Chirafisi.

Rittenhouse later told Carlson that in some ways he didn’t believe he was really on trial as a person – given the way the case was covered.

Kyle Rittenhouse attorneys Mark Richards (left) and Corey Chirafisi listen as Judge Bruce Schroeder speaks during the trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday, November 16, 2021. Rittenhouse is accused of killing two people and injuring a third in a protest against police brutality in Kenosha last year.
((Sean Krajacic / The Kenosha News via AP, Pool))

“It was the right to self-defense in court. If I were convicted, no one would have the privilege to defend their lives against attackers,” he said. “Apparently it is criminal for a lot of people on the left to protect one’s community.”

Rittenhouse further condemned President Biden for prejudging him as a “white supervisor” in a 2020 campaign ad.

“Mr. President, if I were to tell you one thing, I would urge you to go back and see the trial and understand the facts before making a statement,” said the Illinois resident.

“It is real malice; to defame my character for saying such things.”

Biden was not alone in his allegations against Rittenhouse. During his trial, Hakeem Jeffries, chairman of the House Democratic House of Representatives, himself a critic of the mass incarceration, stated on Twitter that Rittenhouse should be jailed and the key should be “thow”[n] one way. “

FILE – In this May 8, 2019 file photo, House Justice Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, DN.Y., goes on to vote on Congressional contempt for Attorney General William Barr. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)

His New York compatriot Jerrold Nadler, an Upper West Side Congressman who chairs the Judiciary Committee, publicly asked if the Justice Department should investigate the “precedent” he had set on the case.

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Experts in the liberal media including Joy Reid, Tiffany Cross and Elie Mystal also condemned Rittenhouse.

Mystal, an attorney and writer for “The Nation,” who is a frequent MSNBC guest, wrote a column claiming the teenager “got away with murder as predicted” in a “white justice system that works as intended” .