Posted on September 5, 2020

GOP Congressman Defends Kenosha Gunman Kyle Rittenhouse, Touts ‘Incredible Restraint and Presence’

Andrew Blake, The Washington Times, September 4, 2020

Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, commended teen gunman Kyle Rittenhouse on Thursday and said he believes he should be acquitted {snip}

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“I think the strongest thing he has for him is the actual video evidence. And 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,” Mr. Massie said on WVHU.

“He also exhibited incredible restraint and presence and situational awareness,” Mr. Massie said later during the interview. “He didn’t empty a magazine into a crowd. There were people around him who could have caused him harm. But as soon as they showed any sign of retreat or nonaggression – he did not shoot them. He exhibited more restraint than a lot of the police videos that I have seen. What does it say about a country where this lawlessness is going on to the extent that a 17-year-old feels compelled to stop it? To be the one to turn the tide? I think it says a lot for the 17-year-old.”

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