Ron DeSantis opines again on Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, urges lawsuits against ‘defamatory’ media
Ron DeSantis takes a question from press. Image via Colin Hackley.

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The Governor wants state laws to allow for defamation suits against press, advertisers.

Gov. Ron DeSantis offered more thoughts about the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse Saturday. The Governor suggested that his ordeal should prompt lawmakers to look harder at allowing people to sue libelous media companies.

DeSantis, in an emailed essay from his re-election campaign, urged Rittenhouse “to sue every corporate media outlet and every moronic commentator who smeared him into oblivion.”

The Republican Governor’s email also calls for more restrictions on media — and advertisers — supporting “defamatory material,” specifically allowing civil lawsuits against both.

DeSantis said that “states need to make sure that those falsely smeared by corporate media have adequate recourse under state law to bring defamation actions.”

He added that “entities who advertise on corporate media outlets that routinely lie and defame innocent people should be held accountable for facilitating defamatory material and false narratives.”

The stakes are high, DeSantis contends: “Those in corporate media who peddle lies and partisan narratives are among the least reputable members of society and they shouldn’t be able to divide our communities and smear people with impunity.”

The Governor had already offered one essay about the Rittenhouse case earlier in the week. The treatise, entitled “Kenosha, Rittenhouse, and Media Lies,” urged supporters to join him and “fight back” against the corporate media and its purported mendacities.

“The whole Kenosha episode has been a tragic farce built upon a foundation of corporate media lies,” DeSantis asserted. “Corporate media lies are perverting our system of justice yet again.”

That email hinted at a policy agenda: “We need to fight back — against attacks on law enforcement, against the smearing of innocent people by the media, against the censorship of the truth by Big Tech, and against those who seek to eliminate our right to defend ourselves and our communities.”

DeSantis often talks of being a “target” of the “smear merchants” in the media. But the Rittenhouse case sounds like he sees an opportunity for corrective action, perhaps during the 2022 Legislative Session.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


37 comments

  • PeterH

    November 20, 2021 at 1:39 pm

    Okay vigilantes everywhere! Our wingnut Governor has just given you the green light to pack your alcoholic mother into the inherited double wide and relocate to sunny Florida! Come on down! Buy a discounted AR-15 and shoot it up! Hee-Haw!

    • Captain Howdy

      November 20, 2021 at 1:53 pm

      Slanderous shit that even the Lincoln Project morons wouldnt excrete. Congratufucknlations, cabana boy, you’ve sunk lower than Rick WIlson which is to say you’d hve to look UP to see a snakes’s asshole.

    • Tom

      November 20, 2021 at 4:49 pm

      He was in Wisconsin you idiot.
      He’s from Illinois you sorry pathetic child. Where are you from ? Are you ignorant? Peter h were you locked in a closet? My goodness

      • carol mitchell

        November 21, 2021 at 4:23 pm

        Did you miss the word relocate?

  • Kathleen DuFresne

    November 20, 2021 at 2:18 pm

    Fox News does “hit jobs” on the truth, on facts, on people’s character every day! Would Fox have to clean up their journalistic act too? If YES, a lot of folks would get behind this initiative.

  • Sister Christina Demeana

    November 20, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    Oh my goodness! I didn’t know that the media made up that story about a seventeen year old boy who crossed state lines with a rifle he was not entitled to buy and then shot three people! So, they must have faked all those videos showing him doing it too! Oh, bad media. Spankings are in order for telling all those lies. Thank you, Governor DeSantis, for exposing this horrible lie. Bless your heart.

    • Captain Howdy

      November 20, 2021 at 4:21 pm

      Another idiot. Spewing damn lies. Swallow your rosary, sister. Choke on it, sow.

      • Ella

        November 20, 2021 at 8:46 pm

        Medicare covers anger issues. Just sayin’.

        • Captain Howdy

          November 21, 2021 at 7:22 am

          anger ain’t the issue. Lies are the issue.

      • Eb

        November 21, 2021 at 11:01 am

        Awwww is howdy doody upset cause someone spoke the truth. Crawl out your grandma’s basement and join the rest of us in the light. We’ll forgive your ignorance.

        • Captain Howdy

          November 21, 2021 at 11:30 am

          Truth was the verdict the jury arrived at, slick. Crawl back into your hole. You ain’t seen the light and ain/t gonna nor has the bitch sister

        • Jack Brandz

          November 24, 2021 at 1:31 am

          I’m sorry, “you’ll forgive” something? This from the party that basks in cancel culture so much that they scream gleefully whenever able to dig up a decades-old comment in order to cancel someone? Sorry Eb, your own ignorance is showing, That or you haven’t been on speaking terms with the word “forgive” for so long, you’ve forgotten the meaning (hint: it’s not, “we’ll pummel you until you say what we tell you, and then continue to pummel you”)

    • Ken L

      November 21, 2021 at 6:12 am

      Exactly its made up lies and if you are still believing their nonsense you didnt watch the trial.

      Lie 1, Crossed statelines with illegal gun possession
      He did not cross state lines with the gun it was in Wisconsin all the time. He was allowed to own a long barrel rifle according to Wisconsin Law which allow 16 and 17 YO to wield one which was why gun charges were dropped.

      Lie 2, He was there to shoot people and he chased and threatened protestors .
      He did not chase and provoke anyone as claimed there were no video evidence showing it and the prosecutor deliberately edited videos by lowering the resolution to make it seem like he was pointing his weapon at others. Contrary to him being provocative and there to shoot people he was seen helping out people and putting out fires throughout the night and avoiding confrontation and insults from protestors with testimony and video evidence. Him chasing a guy was in fact again a lie which was corrected by Ana from TYT and he was instead chased by the pedo. And all 3 occasions he was justified in using deadly force as there was reasonable threat to his safety so the prosecution had to prove provocation but even he provoked the incident they still needed to prove he didnt deescalate the situation enough because even if he provoked the attack he is still allowed to defend himself if he exhausted all means to deescalate in which he did by running from his attackers until he couldnt run because he fell or was cornered.

      Lie 3, he had no business there it was not his community.
      His dad and friends lived there, he drove by the place every day going to work, and he was hired by the car dealer to deter rioters from damaging their business. The owner initially lied about not hiring them which was later corrected under oath.

      Lie 4, They lied about the “unjust” shooting of an unarmed black man and didnt give the full story which sparked the initial riot in the first place. The man who was shot was a domestic abuser whom the cops responded to the spouse call, who tried to drive away with his spouse kids while resisting arrest after getting tazed twice and was only shot after he armed himself with a knife in the car. Everything about the shooting was justified.

      The media lied Tremendously on this case and tried to twist the narrative for their political agenda, they should be held liable for defamation and incitement of protestors.

    • Ty

      November 21, 2021 at 9:11 pm

      His rifle was in Wisconsin the entire time, and when did crossing state lines become illegal?

    • Franz Kiekeben

      November 22, 2021 at 11:53 am

      But he did NOT cross state lines with a rifle, and he did NOT buy that rifle, and he WAS allowed to have it according to Wisconsin law — so yes, the media did make all that up, and you’ve just helped prove that point! The media also lied when they said Jacob Blake was unarmed when he was shot by the police (Blake himself has admitted that he was wielding a knife). If they had reported that incident, and others like it, honestly, the riots would never have happened. The media also “conveniently” never mentioned that the individuals killed by Rittenhouse were convicted criminals, or that one of them was shouting the n-word at people. Some even reported that these “victims” were black! As to the fact that he shot three people, ask yourself what you would have done in his place? If you were being attacked by them as he was, being hit in the head with a skateboard, etc? I guess you would have just let them kill you. Yeah, right.

      • Pastor Joe

        November 23, 2021 at 1:02 pm

        Exactly.

  • Frankie M.

    November 20, 2021 at 7:14 pm

    I’ve got my gun in one hand…Bible in the other. Ready to defend TJ Maxx against all takers.

    At least all those crazy right wing bloggers were spared from Ronnie’s diatribe. Bring it on hip hop!

    • Impeach Biden

      November 20, 2021 at 7:36 pm

      Your mob is firebombing Nike and the Apple Store. Come on man. BLM don’t mess with TJ Maxx.

    • Captain Howdy

      November 20, 2021 at 7:47 pm

      Dementia much, Frankie?

  • zhombre

    November 21, 2021 at 9:38 am

    COPIED FROM POST ON MEWE:
    The gas station where it all started and where Kyle stayed until they started attacking him, is owned by his grandparents. They came on to his property to attack him.
    I didn’t know that Kyle put out a dumpster fire that was being rolled down to a gas station to blow up, with people all around.
    I didn’t know that the Police were told to stand down as businesses were destroyed.
    I didn’t know that Kyles Dad, Grandma and Friends all lived in Kenosha, 20 minutes from where he resided with his Mom part time in Illinois.
    I didn’t know that someone knocked Rittenhouse down twice and then attempted to kick him with lethal force to the head.
    I didn’t know that Huber had hit him in the head 2x with a skateboard.
    I didn’t know Gaige Grosskreutz, aimed his gun at Kyle first, as he admitted on the stand.
    I also didn’t know that in the State of Wisconsin, it is legal for Kyle to have a gun, even at 17 (which was why the gun charge was dismissed).
    I didn’t know that Kyle did not cross state lines with a gun he wasn’t supposed to have. The rightful gun owner did, as he was legally permitted to do.
    I also didn’t realize that Rosenbaum was a 5 time convicted child rapist and that Huber was a 2 time convicted woman beater. I didn’t know that Grosskreutz was a convicted Burglar with an assault on his record also.
    IF THE MEDIA DID THEIR JOB… we would ALL have known this.

    • Andrew Finn

      November 21, 2021 at 2:17 pm

      You got that exactly right !!!!!

    • Valerie Becker

      November 21, 2021 at 4:12 pm

      Where did you get your “facts” from? Kyle didn’t say he was there protecting his grandparent’s gas station, why wouldn’t he say that if it was true? If he was protecting the gas station why did he run right thru it with his gun at the ready?

  • Carol

    November 21, 2021 at 9:51 am

    “White tears”……MSNBC. Nicholas Sandmann now Kyle Rittenhouse. EVEN the most unconscious white person can see the coordinated attacks against white makes by the Democrat party and media. As Laura Ingram stated, “where did all the white MEN go?”

  • Carol

    November 21, 2021 at 9:51 am

    “White tears”……MSNBC. Nicholas Sandmann now Kyle Rittenhouse. EVEN the most unconscious white person can see the coordinated attacks against white males by the Democrat party and media. As Laura Ingram stated, “where did all the white MEN go?”

    • Ocean Joe

      November 21, 2021 at 1:49 pm

      Carol, there was a large bunch of them at the Capitol on Jan 6, smashing windows and doors and smearing their excrement on the walls and attacking police. That’s where a lot of them went.
      But maybe that’s because the orange guy lied to all the white guys and stirred them into a frenzy. Are you still buying into the “they stole my election” stuff? Hope not. Happy Holidays.

      • Lynn

        November 21, 2021 at 4:45 pm

        Another weak white man smh

        The following companies, professional sports support, fund, Joe Biden, the Democrat party, BLM and other far left organizations. Financial BOYCOTT whenever possible the following socialist enablers. Do your part. Patriots, pass this text along….

        *Designates active participant in Biden campaign & BLM.

        AFLAC
        Amazon
        American Airlines
        American Express
        Amway
        Apple
        AT&T
        Bank of America
        Baskin Robbins
        Best Buy
        Calm
        Carl’s Jr.
        *Capital One
        Chase
        Cigna
        *Coca-Cola
        Corona Beer
        Dell Technologies
        Delta Airlines
        Discovery channel
        Discovery Plus
        Disney
        Dunkin Donuts
        *ESPN
        Fast Break
        *Facebook
        Fed-Ex
        Ford Motor Co.
        General Motors
        *Google
        *Goldman Sachs
        IBM
        Jack in the Box
        Johnson & Johnson
        JetBlue
        Kohls
        Levi Strauss & Co
        Little Caesars
        *Lowes Hardware
        MasterCard
        Microsoft
        *Modello Beer
        *NBA
        Nerd Wallet
        Netflix
        *NFL
        Nordstrom
        Nurtec
        Nutella
        *MLB
        Pacifico Beer
        Oxygen
        *OWN
        PayPal
        PBS
        Peloton
        Rocket Mortgage
        *Shutterfly
        Sonic the
        Spectrum
        Subway
        Starbucks
        *State Farm Insurance
        *Target Stores
        The General Insurance
        TBS
        *TNT
        Tripadvisor
        Twitter
        United Airlines
        US Bank
        USA today
        Vanguard
        *Varo Bank
        Verizon
        ViacomCBS
        *Vivint
        Walgreens
        Wayfair
        Wells Fargo
        Wendy’s
        *WNBA

        • keith browne

          November 21, 2021 at 9:08 pm

          Wow thanks! I’ll be sure to support them more! Kudos

        • Joseph Smith

          November 22, 2021 at 1:39 am

          Gee Lynn. Can’t get laid so blame people who care about humanity. You pos republican k u n t.

          • Ted

            November 22, 2021 at 7:41 pm

            Ignorant? White self hater? Black activist joey? You want to save humanity? join the peace corp d1ckhead don’t do it with my dime.

        • Concern Citizen

          November 22, 2021 at 3:55 pm

          Lynn, how many of these companies also give money to republicans? An example, OAN primary supporter is AT&T.

          Back to the article, will DeSantis go after Fox for their lies?

  • FP Monitor

    November 21, 2021 at 10:52 am

    It’s a big mistake is to respond to anything Tom posts. He’s an ignorant Trumpster hack simply looking for attention. Do yourself and all of us a big favor. Ignore all of his return comments. Maybe the internet troll will go away.

    • Captain Howdy

      November 21, 2021 at 11:32 am

      stuff it ought to ignore YOUR posts, flaming douchebag

    • Jack Brandz

      November 24, 2021 at 1:39 am

      Your post is ignorant, FP.
      Unless you write opinions on paper, ball them up, and set fire to them – purely as a cathartic exercise… posting on a public forum, ipso-facto, is “looking for attention”.

      Your own post above is seeking an ‘attaboy’ response. So sit down and stop posting… or remain a hypocrite.

  • Charlotte Greenbarg

    November 21, 2021 at 11:52 am

    Far left 🦜s having kittens over their failure to get an innocent man convicted! May this and Virginia only be the beginnng!

  • Dennis

    November 21, 2021 at 4:50 pm

    Vote Republican across the board…….unless your an illegal alien or non white male.

  • SaltySoutherner

    November 21, 2021 at 5:17 pm

    Having been a prosecutor for several years I believe the prosecution realized they had a losing case. However, because of the media and political optics created by the same felt they had no choice but to take their case to trial. That’s why the media should be held accountable in this country.

  • Brad

    November 21, 2021 at 6:07 pm

    How about you revoke Trulieve’s license or open up the marijuana industry, you corrupt SOB. The FBI caught it on tape!

Comments are closed.


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