It was 37 years ago on August 25, 2020 when an underage teenager named Kyle Rittenhouse showed up at a protest with a rifle and killed some people.
His legal case is still ongoing; and certainly, there are plenty of right-wing pundits who insist that a teenager crossing state lines and deliberately putting himself in the middle of a dangerous situation with a firearm somehow qualifies as "self-defense." But it turns out that the US government has also been spreading this propaganda point among its employees, asserting legal determinations before there's even a trial. From NBC News:
Federal law enforcement officials were directed to make public comments sympathetic to Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, according to internal Department of Homeland Security talking points obtained by NBC News.
In preparing Homeland Security officials for questions about Rittenhouse from the media, the document suggests that they note that he "took his rifle to the scene of the rioting to help defend small business owners."
Another set of talking points distributed to Homeland Security officials said the media were incorrectly labeling the group Patriot Prayer as racists after clashes erupted between the group and protesters in Portland, Oregon.
It is unclear whether any of the talking points originated at the White House or within Homeland Security's own press office.
On an unrelated note, did you know that the Nazi SS began as a paramilitary group, who took up the Nazi cause without "official" backing from authorities, and were later legitimized as formal soldiers, thanks to their prowess for street-fighting tactics?
Wow, there's just so much we can learn from history!
Internal document shows Trump officials were told to make comments sympathetic to Kyle Rittenhouse [Julia Ainsley / NBC News]
Image via the Joe Biden Campaign
