Jacob Ogles
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has a new teenager he’s anxious to hire — murder suspect Kyle Rittenhouse.
During an appearance on Newsmax, Gaetz defended the 18-year-old, who is on trial now for charges after shooting three people at a Kenosha, Wisconsin, protest, killing two of them. The defense has argued Rittenhouse shot in self defense after being attacked, an incident caught on viral video. His case has become a cause célèbre on the right, and Gaetz on the national outlet said he hopes the jury acquits.
“He deserves a not guilty verdict and I sure hope he gets it,” the Fort Walton Beach Republican said. “Because you know what? Kyle Rittenhouse would probably make a pretty good congressional intern. We may reach out to him and see if he’d be interested in helping the country in additional ways.”
The August shooting immediately generated national attention, which was rekindled this week as Rittenhouse’s trial played out. A jury is now in its third day of deliberations after closing statements.
Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, faces five felony counts, including first-degree murder of Anthony Huber and reckless homicide of Joseph Rosenbaum. Video shows Huber attacking Rittenhouse with a skateboard before Rittenhouse fired shots.
Right-wing politicians across the country have rallied to Rittenhouse’s defense, to the horror of progressives who believe Rittenhouse showed up at a Black Lives Matter protest ready to kill. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a long-time Gaetz ally, on Wednesday sent out a campaign fundraiser calling Rittenhouse a community defender.
Gaetz, in the Newsmax interview, defended Jake Chansley, a Jan. 6 Capitol riot participant known as the “Qanon Shaman” sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in jail.
“This ‘QAnon Shaman’ is like a relatively harmless, non-violent vegan, and the notion that he’s got to be in prison for three and a half years to settle some sort of political score defies justice,” Gaetz said.
But with Chansley unable to join the congressional workforce, the only on-air job offer went to Rittenhouse. Gaetz retweeted video from the Newsmax segment on his official Twitter account, posting “he’d make a great Congressional Intern.”
Of note, Gaetz’s growing concerns of malicious prosecutions come as federal investigators continue a probe that could yet bring trouble for the third-term Congressman. Former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg, a close Gaetz associate who pleaded guilty earlier this year to sex-trafficking a minor, is continuing to cooperate with prosecutors in investigations involving other individuals.
That reportedly includes investigating accusations Gaetz made financial payments through Greenberg to young women in exchange for sex. Greenberg attorney Fritz Scheller in April hinted Greenberg’s cooperation could mean trouble for Gaetz.
“I am sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today,” Scheller said at the time.
10 comments
Kathy
November 18, 2021 at 11:16 am
Are you effing kidding me? If that child thought things were going to get so bad that he had to skip down the street heavily armed, then he should have been smart enough to stay home. Maybe Gaetz can start a halfway house for those poor souls misunderstood for killing people under the pretense of “defender” and January 6th “peaceful protesters”. A home filled with ankle monitored true Patriots which Gaetz can mentor. Perhaps, keep it all male!
Impeach Biden
November 18, 2021 at 11:27 am
Now if the Governor of Wisconsin would have deployed the National Guard we wouldn’t be here would we? No he was like all the other lunatics that supported the so called “peaceful protests”
Evan Miller
November 18, 2021 at 12:07 pm
The left encourages violence and then cries racism when it doesn’t go as planned. The people who cry racism,are the racist.
Concern Citizen
November 18, 2021 at 12:55 pm
The left really went off the rail when they attacked the Capitol on Jan 6. Oops. It was not the left but Trump supporters and far right nut jobs.
PeterH
November 18, 2021 at 12:43 pm
Water seeks its own level.
Today’s Republican Party supports Gaetz!
Captain Howdy
November 18, 2021 at 6:58 pm
You find your own level in a sewer with the rest of the quisling Lincoln Project rats.
zhombre
November 18, 2021 at 12:54 pm
Gaetz is grandstanding, of course, but I hope the jury in Kenosha is brave enough to ignore the threats of mob violence and bring in a verdict of not guilty on all counts which IMHO would be entirely justified.
Kenneth
November 18, 2021 at 8:18 pm
A white man with b@lls, what a concept! Anyone notice all the African Americans in front of the court house wanting blood….why?I
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David Harwick
November 19, 2021 at 9:05 am
Both Desantis and Gaetz are fxxking jokes.
Jasper T. Fellini
November 21, 2021 at 4:28 pm
Every 18 year-old in the USA should apply for an internship with Matt Gaetz. No moral compass, no education, no accomplishments required.
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