Kyle Rittenhouse took the stand on Wednesday – a risky move for anyone charged in a criminal case. By waiving his 5th Amendment rights, he opened himself up to possible self-incrimination and lines of questioning from prosecutors that are designed to make people slip.
Here's what Kyle had to say:
More info from CBN:
Kyle Rittenhouse told jurors at his murder trial that he tried to get away from his pursuers the night he shot three men during street unrest in Kenosha, saying he never wanted to kill anyone: "I didn't do anything wrong. I defended myself."
The 18-year-old spent most of Wednesday giving his account of what happened in just a few frenzied minutes on Aug. 25, 2020, sobbing so hard at one point that the judge called a recess.
Regardless of your opinions on the case, it's not easy to watch a teenager break down in tears while reliving the PTSD of an extremely traumatic moment and the international scrutiny of an entire year.
Despite attempts by the prosecution to prove the contrary, Kyle stuck by the eyewitness and video evidence that shows he was repeatedly attacked that night in Kenosha.
In an account largely corroborated by video and the prosecution's own witnesses, Rittenhouse said that the first man cornered him and put his hand on the barrel of Rittenhouse's rifle, the second man hit him with a skateboard, and the third man came at him with a gun of his own.
Rittenhouse fatally shot the first two men and wounded the third.
His nearly daylong testimony was interrupted by an angry exchange in which his lawyers demanded a mistrial over what they argued were out-of-bounds questions asked of him by the chief prosecutor.
This is being a bit too gracious to the knucklehead prosecutors in this case.
We all have to be careful not to rush to conclusions, especially in high-profile cases – but I can safely say that these prosecutors represent a perversion of justice and the very worst of their profession.
Here's my proof:
During cross-examination, Binger asked Rittenhouse about whether it was appropriate to use deadly force to protect property, and also posed questions about the defendant's silence after his arrest.
At that, the jury was ushered out of the room, and Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder loudly and angrily accused Binger of pursuing an improper line of questioning and trying to introduce testimony that the judge earlier said he was inclined to prohibit — video made some 15 days before the shootings, in which Rittenhouse watches men leave a CVS Pharmacy and is heard commenting that he wished he had his rifle so he could shoot them because he thought they were shoplifters.
But in case a judge saying "grave constitutional violation" isn't enough evidence, here's the prosecutors showing a basic lack of common sense across a variety of subjects:
