Leftist politicians, celebrities, activists, and commentators have had numerous insane responses to Kyle Rittenhouse being found not guilty on all charges in the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, as well as the injury of Gaige Grosskreutz.
Rittenhouse was in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on one fateful night in August 2020 trying to defend local businesses from looters and rioters reacting to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who was later revealed to have been armed with a knife. Rittenhouse said in court that he was running to help put out a fire when a mob began chasing him and someone threw a rock at his head, causing him to fall. One of the men he shot and killed attempted to take his gun from him, which prompted him to shoot in self-defense. The other man he killed attacked him with a skateboard before Rittenhouse fired. Grosskreutz ran up to Rittenhouse while pointing a gun at the then-17-year-old’s head when he was shot.
Rittenhouse and his attorneys argued self-defense, a claim that was backed up by video evidence and witness testimony.
Despite all the evidence and facts of the case, Leftists committed to the narrative that Rittenhouse was guilty took to Twitter and mainstream media outlets to give their opinions. “White supremacy” appeared to be the word of the day, even though Rittenhouse and his attackers were all white. Many of those who gave their opinion about the verdict bungled basic facts about the case, claiming that Rittenhouse carried a gun across state lines (he did not), shot unarmed men (the only unarmed person he shot tried to grab his gun from him after chasing him), and possessed the firearm illegally (he did not).
Here are some of the worst responses:
President Joe Biden: “While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken,” Biden said in a statement. “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,” Biden added. “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.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA): “America today: you can break the law, carry around weapons built for a military, shoot and kill people, and get away with it. That’s the message we’ve just sent to armed vigilantes across the nation.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL): “Carrying a loaded gun into a community 20 miles from your home and shooting unarmed citizens is fundamentally wrong.”
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY): “Kyle Rittenhouse is living proof that white tears can still forestall justice. A murderer is once again walking free today — our system is terribly broken.”
Dyjuan Tatro, senior adviser to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: “I do not believe that convictions equal justice. But I am convinced that the ‘not guilty’ verdict constitutes a great injustice today. The American legal system is rooted in racism and functions to uphold white supremacy.”
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): “Despite Kyle Rittenhouse’s conscious decision to travel across state lines and injure one person and take the lives of two people protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake by police, he was not held responsible for his actions. Unfortunately, this is not surprising,” the organization said in a statement. “His acquittal comes after our investigation exposed how Kenosha law enforcement used violence against protesters and drove them toward white militia groups, in ways that escalated tensions and almost certainly led to these shootings. It is far too easy to overlook the impact that violence in defense of white supremacy has on the Black and Brown communities. When the community rose up to exercise their First Amendment right to protest after the police shot a Black man in the back — in front of his children, police enabled white supremacist militia members.”
ACLU of Maryland: “Dangerous, disgusting, unacceptable white supremacy in #RittenhouseVerdict.”
Becky Pringle, head of the National Education Association: “When a 17-year old is able to come into another community, brandish an automatic weapon, kill two people, and avoid accountability, justice has not been served. We must be able to walk down our streets, exercise our right to protest safely, and be treated equally under the law.”
Congressional Black Caucus: “It is unconscionable our justice system would allow an armed vigilante — who traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz — to go free.”
Colin Kaepernick: “We just witnessed a system built on white supremacy validate the terroristic acts of a white supremacist. This only further validates the need to abolish our current system. White supremacy cannot be reformed.”
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace: “Ha, let the boy be black and it would’ve been life…hell he would’ve had his life taken before the bullshit trial. Sad.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY): “This heartbreaking verdict is a miscarriage of justice and sets a dangerous precedent which justifies federal review by DOJ. Justice cannot tolerate armed persons crossing state lines looking for trouble while people engage in First Amendment-protected protest.”
Rep Cori Bush (D-MO): “The judge. The jury. The defendant. It’s white supremacy in action. This system isn’t built to hold white supremacists accountable. It’s why Black and brown folks are brutalized and put in cages while white supremacist murderers walk free. I’m hurt. I’m angry. I’m heartbroken.”
Josh Gad: “It has now been put it out there that vigilantes can just go and kill people protesting issues like racial equality whenever they want and get away with it. Think about that for a second,” Gad tweeted.
“An 18 year old who gunned down 2 men in cold blood & got away with it is being hailed as a hero today by many,” he added. “You can choose to stand with them, or you can choose to fight back against this frightening s*** & vote against those who would cheer this f***er & offer him internships.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA): “Racism & white supremacy remain the bedrock of our legal system. My heart breaks for the family & loved ones of those whose lives were stolen, and the trauma our communities face today and every day.”
Nikole Hannah-Jones: “In this country, you can even kill white people and get away with it if those white people are fighting for Black lives,” Hannah-Jones tweeted. “This is the legacy of 1619.”
“But Trayvon Martin deserved to die because he fought back against an aggressor with no weapon. This is the legacy of white supremacy in action,” she added.
Cary Elwes: “Another disappointing victory for White vigilantism.”
Van Jones: “This idea of white vigilante violence is something that we have to wrestle with… We have got a pattern now, where white men feel that they have the right to enforce the law themselves.”
NBA: “Our thoughts are with the families of those whose lives were taken in this tragedy. The right to peacefully protest is a bedrock of our democracy and the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition remains committed to preserving that right for all. Any forms of vigilantism in our society are unacceptable.”
Ibram X. Kendi: “They are fighting to maintain white male supremacy,” Kendi quoted from an article he wrote last year. “Which is to say, they are defending law and order. Defending their America — where white men can rule and brutalize without consequence.”
George Takei: “Justice denied is a body blow to our national psyche. On trial was not only a killer, but a system that continues to kill. Today that system defeated true justice, once again. But mark these words: We will never stop fighting for what is right and just.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI): “Our justice system is broken. It protects white supremacy. The two people who were killed deserved justice and so did our communities who continue to be targeted with violence like this.”
Airborne Toxic Event front man Mikel Jollett: “To the people saying, ‘This is not America,’ please stop. Yes, it is. A place where a racist white man with a gun can murder protestors in cold blood protected by an entrenched system steeped in white supremacy,” he tweeted.
“Enjoying all the complex analysis but the thing where only one party can win an election and the people who oppose that party can be legally shot in the street is literally just fascism,” he added.
Sophia Bush: “The miscarriage of justice today is enraging. This is white supremacy in action. This is hideous. He murdered people, bragged about it while throwing white power signs in a bar, and then manufactured tears to claim that despite his AR-15 HE was in danger. And he got off. Unreal.”
Aimee Carrero: “The United States legal system is white supremacy’s most loyal patron.”
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer: “White supremacy, guns, & institutional racism are a toxic combination.”
Amnesty International: “White supremacy is a threat to human rights.”
Derrick Johnson, CEO of NAACP: “The verdict in the #KyleRittenhouseTrial is a reminder of the treacherous role that white supremacy and privilege play within our justice system.”
Dean Obeidallah: “White privilege is driving from another state with your AR-15 to oppose a Black Lives Matter protest, kill two people and then walk free. #WhiteSupremacy.”
Jemele Hill: “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. It’s on brand, and in line with who America always has been.”
MoveOn: “Our judicial system upholds white supremacy. The entire trial and the verdict today is just another example of that. For us all to truly be safe, it must be reimagined and transformed.”