“Based on the video evidence I have seen in the public domain, if I were on a jury, I would not find Mr. Rittenhouse guilty of the charges.”
Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) tweeted that sentiment last week in response to the deadly shooting during protests in Kenosha, Wisc. that led to the arrest of 17-year old Kyle Rittenhouse.
“The strongest thing in his favor is actually the video of the event … the video of him running down the street and falling,” Massie said on the Tom Roten Morning Show, according to National Review. “He was fulfilling his obligation to retreat. … He fell down. … He responded in self-defense. … I would not convict.”
Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with six counts: two counts of first degree intentional reckless homicide, one count of attempted first degree intentional reckless homicide, two counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety, and one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18. The last charge is the only misdemeanor while the rest are felonies.
Rittenhouse went to Kenosha, reportedly, in response to the protests that erupted following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. On August 23, police tasered Blake during an arrest attempt and then when he opened the door to his vehicle and reached inside, he was shot four times.
Blake is reportedly paralyzed from the waist down but is expected to survive.
On the third night of protests in the Wisconsin city, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber were shot and killed while Gaige Grosskreutz was wounded. Rittenhouse is accused in those shootings. Police later recovered what they say was a weapon carried by Rittenhouse, a Smith & Wesson AR-15-style .223 rifle.
Videos from the scene have created debate online on whether the deadly shootings were justified and Massie is not the only member of Congress to suggest that they were. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) called it “100% justified self defense,” the National Review reported.
“If I were on a jury and all I had was the evidence that I have been able to acquire through social media and the videos that are out there, I would not convict him of a single one of these charges,” Massie said, the National Review reported.
Massie is up for election in 2020 and faces Democrat Alexandra Owensby, a Fort Thomas doctor, who criticized Massie’s statement.
“The role of a Representative is to be the voice of the people in their district,” Owensby said in a statement. “As a mother and a constituent, I am beyond concerned about Representative Thomas Massie’s latest comments on Thursday defending Kyle Rittenhouse’s actions. I hope and pray no parent finds out their child became a mass murderer overnight. No parent wants their child to become radicalized to the point they kill anyone, let alone multiple people. My heart goes out to every single person involved in this situation. While we don’t have all the details, what I will say is I hope we don’t repeat this situation ever.”
Owensby said that she disagrees with rioters vandalizing businesses but said that that “in no way justifies youth vigilantes traveling across state lines, illegally arming themselves with assault rifles, and shooting protesters in the back.”
As a nation, we need to do better,” Owensby said. “We need to hear the voices of those who don’t feel like they are heard and feel the need to take to the streets. We need to address these injustices and inequalities before they get to this level.”
Rittenhouse is being represented by Atlanta-based attorney L. Lin Wood, who is known in Northern Kentucky for representing Covington Catholic graduate Nicholas Sandmann in his lawsuits against several media outlets following coverage of a January 2019 encounter on the National Mall. Wood’s co-counsel in that case is local attorney Todd McMurty, whom Massie defeated in this year’s Republican primary.
-Staff report