Following his damaging testimony at the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, Gaige Grosskreutz was brought on “Good Morning America” to mock the teen accused of killing two rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and injuring Grosskreutz.
After his GMA appearance, Anderson Cooper invited Grosskreutz on his own show to allow him “to clarify his testimony” and the comments he made on GMA. Cooper gave Grosskreutz a platform to try and reclaim the media’s narrative that Rittenhouse did not act in self-defense when he shot three people during a Black Lives Matter riot. Grosskreutz was allowed to reiterate his comments regarding Rittenhouse’s testimony in his own defense, saying the defendant seemed “like a child being upset because they were caught, not upset because of what they had done wrong.”
Cooper then played part of Grosskreutz’s testimony, where he admitted that Rittenhouse only shot him when he pointed a gun at the teenager. As The Daily Wire previously reported, the full exchange between Grosskreutz and Rittenhouse attorney Corey Chirafisi went as follows:
Corey Chirafisi: Now, you’d agree your firearm is pointed at Mr. Rittenhouse. Correct?
Gaige Grosskreutz: Yes.
CC: Okay. And once your firearm is pointed at Mr. Rittenhouse, that’s when he fires his gun. Yes?
GG: No.
CC: Sir, look, I don’t want to – does this look like right now your arm is being shot?
GG: That looks like my bicep being vaporized, yes.
CC: Okay. And it’s being vaporized as you’re pointing your gun directly at him. Yes?
GG: Yes.
CC: Okay. So when you were standing 3-5 feet from him with your arms up in the air, he never fired. Right?
GG: Correct.
CC: It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun — now your hands down — pointed at him that he fired. Right?
GG: Correct.
Cooper pointed out that Grosskreutz said on GMA that he was not pointing his gun at Rittenhouse before giving Grosskreutz a chance to “clarify” his statements.
“First and foremost, that was a very tense situation, something I have never been in before, having never been shot before. I think it’s important to note though that, specifically, during cross, if there’s a skilled attorney, they’re able to present questions to help support their narrative. That’s their job,” Grosskreutz said. “And with one of the exhibits that attorney Chirafisi had introduced, there’s a photo of me with my gun pointed toward the defendant – either just after or right during he had shot me in my arm. And it’s important to note though, that the physiology of my wound would be inconsistent with somebody being shot with their arm in – we’ll say the traditional way that you would point a gun at somebody or something. The only way that I could have sustained the injury that I have is if I had been shot with my arms up.”
Video of the shooting exists online for anyone to see (warning: graphic content). Grosskreutz does appear to surrender but then lunges for Rittenhouse with his gun aimed down at the teen, standing right over him. This is when Rittenhouse, who was seated on the ground, fires, resulting in the injury to Grosskreutz’s bicep.
Cooper then asked if Grosskreutz “ever” pointed his gun at Rittenhouse. Grosskreutz looked off camera and then said:
I think that in the still photos it certainly looks like it, but never intentionally. You have to understand that, following that gunshot, I had no use of my arm, I wasn’t able to move anything in my right arm or on my right arm.
Of course, it is important what happened before Grosskreutz was shot, not after.
Cooper then explained that Grosskreutz brought a gun to a potentially volatile situation and asked why he brought a gun if he “was there as a medic”?
Grosskreutz responded:
That’s a good question, Anderson. I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in American Citizens’ right to bear arms. I carry a weapon with me, it’s just like grabbing your keys, your phone, your wallet, and your gun. So, that night was no different than any other night, but I think an important juxtaposition to make between the defendant and myself, both claiming to be medics, is that one of us was carrying illegally with a rifle and one of us was carrying concealed with a handgun.
Grosskreutz came dangerously close to saying he had the gun for self-defense, which is Rittenhouse’s argument. Also notice that he didn’t say he was carrying “legally,” because his conceal-carry permit was expired at the time of the shooting.
Gaige Grosskreutz should be charged with perjury. He can then either state he lied on the stand under oath or he lied on CNN. https://t.co/O1yYIbO3E0
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) November 13, 2021