On this episode of Ash Wednesday, we have special guest Kyle Rittenhouse on the show. Kyle is a law enforcement officer in the Kenosha, Wisconsin Police Department. He has been on the force for over 20 years and is currently serving a life sentence for a charge of second-degree murder in the shooting of a black teenager.
00:04:22.000When was the last time you, as a kid, went to a city, well, went to a city where you worked, you know, served as a lifeguard, or your dad lived, to clean up vandalism and trash?
00:06:00.000And then walking out, me and the sergeant for Kenosha Police Department, really professional guy, we sprinted down the hallway, getting out of that courthouse.
00:07:28.000I'm only going to ask this once because I don't want to interrupt our conversation, and we'll be taking your questions, your chat, exclusively on MugClub.
00:07:39.000So first let me ask you, and I know Joy Reid said this didn't happen, But she's an idiot.
00:07:45.000When the president, if not outright said, their argument is he didn't call you a white supremacist, he just inferred it and showed a video of you with him narrating about white supremacy.
00:08:01.000What was that like when the president of the United States, former vice president of the United States, was dragging your name through the mud before you even made it to trial?
00:08:13.000Biden's a former criminal defense attorney, so he should know innocent until proven guilty, but he decided to go guilty before being proved innocent.
00:09:16.000Like when I have all these media, lying media organizations, the president coming out and saying all these false things that just are not true.
00:09:49.000You know, I talked about this on air, you have the entire media entertainment industrial complex.
00:09:54.000You have the former vice president of the United States, Joe Biden.
00:09:56.000Every, not even liberal station, I mean, some backed him up, but yeah, I mean, every new station jumped on white supremacy instantly.
00:10:06.000But then in the trial, did, was there ever a moment where your blood ran cold when you, when you found out that the FBI had either withheld or lost the HD footage?
00:10:21.000Well, did your blood run cold when you... I remember when I realized that, I thought, oh no, they're gonna railroad this kid.
00:10:27.000So, backing up a little bit, with the FBI footage, we figured out about it about a month and a half prior to trial.
00:11:10.000So I'm like, It was in Fluffer Boy 2004's opening statements where he said, and we have FBI footage that will show Mr. Rittenhouse was chasing Rosenbaum.
00:11:19.000And I remember us hearing that going, oh, how have they been sitting on this?
00:11:59.000Is how many other riots that were taking place had drones, or they claimed I think at one point a Cessna, like an actually a manned vehicle.
00:12:06.000How many other riots have this footage?
00:12:08.000Do they have footage of the man who shot David Dorn?
00:12:11.000Do they have footage of the, you know, over a dozen people who were killed at these riots?
00:12:14.000The cops who were... They haven't caught the people who shot David Dorn, have they?
00:12:21.000Yeah, I don't know if they're looking, and for people who don't remember, he's the man who was shot dead, was a longtime St.
00:12:26.000Louis, or an area in Missouri, I don't know if it was St.
00:12:28.000Louis proper, police officer who was retired, and shot in the street over a television.
00:12:33.000Black guy, by the way, before you go with the white supremacy angle again.
00:12:35.000Which is odd, when one of the person, people who you defended yourself against, was screaming the N-word over and over again at a gas station.
00:12:45.000Oh, that's a question, maybe it's a little bit light.
00:12:46.000So, you know, you were there when he was screaming the N-word repeatedly, Rosenbaum.
00:12:50.000I wasn't at that gas station, but I saw the videos, but the one time I did hear Mr. Rosenbaum scream the N-word, I was with Ryan Balch, and he came up to us.
00:12:59.000I was asking people if they need help.
00:13:00.000I was helping the rioters with first aid, and then he came up.
00:13:03.000He said, I'm going to fucking kill you, you N-word.
00:13:07.000And then the second time... I love how we say N-word, but you can say fucking.
00:13:14.000Yeah, I think it's best because we played the clip and we were accused of using the n-word on television because we're like, this is what he said.
00:15:37.000So the FBI, though, to me, that was really scary.
00:15:41.000I think for a lot of people realized, okay, In this case, I don't want to tar and feather one at the FBI, in this case, there's a politically charged agenda if they didn't give them this footage.
00:16:11.000It was the right time for the media to build up a story that they wanted, and they used you, and that's terrifying, I'm sure.
00:16:19.000Yeah, especially just being a normal 17-year-old kid who was attacked, and next thing I know, everybody in this world apparently knows who I am.
00:16:31.000Let me know if I'm attacked by a, I mean, you didn't know at the time, a child rapist.
00:16:37.000And this has nothing to do with you exercising your right to self-defense, but it also goes back to this idea of the sort of these reforms that we've seen.
00:16:45.000This is a guy who really probably should have been locked away for life based on the crimes that he had committed, just like you see people in New York with this sort of cash bail.
00:16:53.000They go out and they commit violent crimes again.
00:16:56.000And unfortunately, law-abiding citizens are the ones who get vilified.
00:17:00.000People would say, well, you had no business being there.
00:17:03.000I never said that because I don't believe that.
00:17:06.000I think it's a lot easier for people to say, I'm justifying why I wasn't there.
00:17:10.000I think a lot of people thought, you know what, this is a kid who's trying to do the right thing because no one is.
00:17:16.000And a city where he works and he has close ties is a blaze.
00:17:21.000I know you probably would, if you could do it again, you wouldn't go down.
00:17:24.000Hindsight being 20-20, I would have stayed home.
00:17:27.000Hindsight being 20-20, but we can't change that, and it doesn't change the fact that I was attacked and defended myself.
00:17:36.000Well, I can't imagine being 18, I mean, and I know it's gotta be difficult for you to have to, you know, deal with all of this, but like, why did you go out that night?
00:17:45.000That's what I guess, because people, so many people keep asking.
00:19:25.000Yeah, I'll be back with socks and a tiara.
00:19:30.000What do you think was the most important lesson that you learned?
00:19:33.000Not hindsight 2020, you wouldn't go down there.
00:19:36.000But in all of this, what was your big takeaway besides the relief of not being acquitted?
00:19:42.000My biggest takeaway is how the government can just try to push their own narrative unsuccessfully in my case, but they can push their own agenda and just try to put anybody away for defending their self or any innocent person.
00:19:58.000What do you think would have happened if there wasn't more footage than people could watch in a lifetime?
00:20:12.000There was all the footage, and it didn't matter anyway.
00:20:15.000That's when people say, we're divided in this country as though we need to reach across the aisle, where I go, well look, there's all of this footage, and it doesn't matter anyway.
00:20:23.000I think that you were really a line in the sand for a lot of people, for them to wake up.
00:20:30.000If there wasn't any of this footage, the state would have been able to push their own narrative and say what they wanted to say, and they may have got away with it.
00:20:39.000Did you feel when the jury was deliberating that there was a good chance that they were looking almost for a guilty plea because it was taking so long?
00:21:45.000We're putting in a motion for the police department to send it off to be destroyed and I think we're going to send one of our guys, one of our people with it to make sure it is destroyed.
00:24:33.000I wanted to ask, because I saw your reaction when Binger asked, I want to make sure I get this name right, it was Ritchie McGinnis, where Binger said you had no idea that he was reaching for Kyle's gun, or he was trying to take Kyle's gun, and Ritchie McGinnis said, who was called by Binger, the prosecution said, well he reached for his gun and said fuck you.
00:24:56.000I saw you start kind of trying to hide back as intense as it was a smirk.
00:25:36.000So that was a big one, but I remember you smirking at that.
00:25:39.000But then, did you go, that's the moment that changed the case when Gage Grosskreutz admitted that you only shot when he came up and aimed at you?
00:25:48.000Because that was, for everyone here, we said, whoa, when that happened live.
00:25:53.000Well, the moments... I didn't think they had a case from the beginning when they started off their opening statements with lying to the entire jury.
00:26:21.000Even though you say you know that they didn't have a case, a prosecution, and they were lying, but it still must be in the back of your mind that, you know, they can railroad you if they want.
00:26:31.000And then with the Gage testimony, Attorney Sherroff, he said, it wasn't until you chased him down Did you feel like, okay, pretty confident after that, that at least I won't be convicted on the severe murder charges they were trying to press?
00:26:49.000Did you feel like, okay, I'm out of the woods the moment that happened?
00:26:53.000Did you feel like, okay, pretty confident after that, that at least I won't be convicted
00:26:59.000on the severe murder charges they were trying to press?
00:27:02.000Did you feel like, okay, I'm out of the woods?
00:27:04.000The moment that happened, there was a shift in your attitude?
00:27:09.000I stayed optimistic the entire trial, but it was more like, at least he's honest.
00:27:24.000And I want to go two more questions on Gage Grosskreutz, who's beautiful and brave.
00:27:28.000He then went on Good Morning America and other shows to Talk about cultural appropriation of spacers.
00:27:37.000I'm surprised he doesn't have ringlets on his neck.
00:27:39.000I'm surprised his name was Gage and he had ear gauges.
00:27:41.000I just thought it was a pro wrestler name.
00:27:43.000But then he went on Good Morning America, I believe, with Michael Strahan?
00:27:47.000Yeah, then he goes on Good Morning America and just lies about his... He said the exact opposite of his testimony because he's not under oath.
00:27:53.000Well, yeah, he can say whatever he wants.
00:33:08.000When Hopper died, and I had to talk about it, when David Dorn, we watched that footage, and we all about lost it when you were crying on the stand.
00:33:21.000It was really, really hard for all of us.
00:33:23.000One of the hardest things was me keeping my composure, and then seeing your mom.
00:34:47.000They're hanging out at home, relaxing.
00:34:50.000They may be going on vacation sometime.
00:34:53.000But they're just hanging out with friends, catching up on everything we missed, because we all had to put our, they had to, thank you to them, they had to put their lives Are they going through any sort of therapy or counseling?
00:35:09.000I don't want to say as traumatic for them, but in a different way.
00:35:22.000Yeah, but they've been so helpful to this all Especially my mom.
00:35:28.000She's been really She's been really good to this entire thing Yeah, that was that was really hard to watch because you're watching it live on the show and and to be honest I had listened to so much rhetoric on the news that it said he was a white supremacist There's almost this view that you went down there and like I'm clean Dave what?
00:35:47.000Tell him what you thought before you were in the show I did.
00:35:49.000I thought that he was... He thought you were what the media told him.
00:35:53.000Because all I had heard was CNN going, he's a white supremacist.
00:35:57.000I figured you went down there in like a MAGA hat.
00:36:00.000They wanted you to believe that you were hunting people.
00:36:03.000So I watched the trial going into it because we started covering it.
00:36:07.000And it was almost immediate where I'm like, wait, this is everything I've heard so far just in the one attorney's opening statements shows that you weren't anything that they painted you.
00:36:18.000I can't tell you how many people, when I would talk with them in person, would say, Wait, the people he shot were white guys?
00:36:39.000So anyway, if you don't know the facts, just go back and watch the trial.
00:36:42.000Spend like two and a half weeks watching it and just learn the facts of the case and then make up your opinion after.
00:36:49.000What do you think is the most, if people have to come away with one or two, the most important key facts that the public perception about which is wrong?
00:36:58.000What do you think is the key fact that people think or the misperception that people have that is most pervasive?
00:37:06.000That I didn't cross state lines and that rifle I was carrying was 100% legal for me to carry.
00:37:11.000Dude, that is the one that I keep having to tell people as well.
00:37:15.000I think that is the number one thing that is completely... Because I saw an article today where they're like, he crossed state lines and carried an illegal firearm.
00:37:23.000And I think it was an article that said I was in self-defense, but they said I crossed state lines and my firearm was illegal.
00:37:52.000I think they're going to railroad this kid.
00:37:54.000I said, I genuinely believe that he will be acquitted.
00:37:57.000Because of how murky, to be fair, some lawyers can use the legalese of the firearm laws in Wisconsin, I thought maybe they might need to try and make an example of this and get them on some kind of a firearms charge, but that doesn't mean that it's right.
00:38:11.000When they dismissed that one, I thought, okay, we're cooking with gas now.
00:38:30.000Because that was something that everyone said and it was dismissed, right?
00:38:34.000The people in charge said, no, we're not going to play that.
00:38:35.000Well, and even the footage they had to show, because so many people were like, oh, you were pointing it at people, this and that, like, all the footage showed that you weren't.
00:38:42.000Yeah, I didn't point my firearm at anybody who wasn't attacking me.
00:38:49.000I know I wouldn't have been so composed.
00:38:51.000I want to ask you about that, I don't know if you can answer this, you can always tell me if you can't, because Gage said that you, he used the term, re-racked your gun.
00:38:58.000And this was something that was, it came from his Twitter, by the way, to the point where when we were trying to get the key details from the case, we were wrong.
00:39:05.000We issued a correction saying, it doesn't appear that Kyle actually did that, but it was everywhere, and it stemmed from Gage's Twitter.
00:39:42.000For crying out loud, that was unbelievably quick.
00:39:47.000Yeah, I mean, seriously, dude, that shows your adrenaline and how afraid you were.
00:39:51.000I mean, and when you did break down on the stand, I do have this question, because I know that was hard, and if you don't want to relive it, just say so, but aren't you bothered by the fact that immediately people were like, oh, he's faking?
00:40:02.000Because what, you're just Meryl Streep all of a sudden?
00:41:56.000And right away, and that just, I think we all watched, we felt like you were a little brother.
00:42:00.000Honestly, everyone here, this was the most, we had taken this more personally than anything else, because, you know, we have to be careful too, because if we try and raise, that's a problem for you, if we try and raise money for you, if we try and, and I had been on the phone with my lawyer, what can we do, and he said, the best thing you can do is I'm not interested in any internships.
00:42:17.000But I know that we had reached out to you behind the scenes and wanted to keep a healthy
00:42:22.000distance because I'm sure you have every Tom, Dick, and Harry now knocking on your door
00:42:25.000offering you internships or probably broadcast or book deals.
00:42:31.000I'm not interested in any internships.
00:43:47.000We're from Michigan where everything is whitefish.
00:43:50.000and that's it can be it's it's fine but like a lot of old you guys have like salmon there and everything yeah we do but for some reason they bring out the white fish first and it's a it smells like how fish dying perch does yeah perch you're not the what's that place where the Chelsea cafe they have good perch You know what's really good?
00:47:10.000This went nowhere, but... I think it's fun, we're just... I had an UNO run that you can talk with after this with Darren about, my Pops Crowder.
00:50:18.000It seems, yeah, if you have family and friends that have always been on your side and been there, it's gotta help kind of take away the darkness that was being given.
00:50:28.000I know you said that it wasn't something that should be celebrated.
00:50:37.000I knew I defended myself, and I just don't think it's something to be celebrated.
00:50:42.000At the end of the day, two lives were lost, and I may have been attacked, but it's not something to celebrate.
00:50:46.000I don't think it's something to celebrate, and I ask that because if you said that you did, this would be an intervention that you should not feel any guilt.
00:50:54.000And I know sometimes there's misplaced guilt when there's a traumatic event.
00:50:59.000Well, that's when somebody does the right thing.
00:51:05.000It's not something to be, I understand what you're saying, to be celebrated, but what I talked about on air is you were there trying to do the right thing.
00:51:13.000That's why I never took a step back like, yeah, he shouldn't have been there.
00:51:15.000No, I understand why you were there and actually commend you for being there because you were there For a long time, cleaning up and helping.
00:51:22.000You weren't one of these people, and I'm saying this, look, and you're gonna have to take this praise for a second.
00:51:38.000You were there to help, and I don't think it was wrong for you to be there, and I think it's important that you know, even though you don't think it's something to be celebrated, and I understand the sentiment, I certainly celebrate that that occurred rather than the alternative, because I know that if you hadn't defended yourself, which is what the left has excoriated you for, you'd be dead.
00:53:01.000It's not your fault, boy, it's not your fault.
00:53:03.000No, you don't owe anyone anything and it's really easy to get sucked into this industry of conservatives asking more of you because they admire you.
00:53:10.000Just, I hope you don't let that happen.
00:53:13.000Well, I think the best thing you can do, I mean, it always sounds strange, but you know, the best revenge is living your best life.
00:53:18.000And if you're going to college and you want to do something and spin this into the most positive thing you can, you can do something amazing with your life.
00:53:25.000And I think it's good that you have the opportunity to do that because there's been so many people that have been in your position that don't have that option.
00:53:32.000And there's been people, you know, obviously falsely incarcerated, white or black, any of that, you know?
00:53:36.000And it just comes down to the fact that You yourself, because you wore quick enough.
00:53:44.000You know, you get the second chance, I'm sure you look at life.
00:53:48.000And I shouldn't call it a second chance that you did something wrong, but I just mean like you got through something that most people I don't think could handle.
00:53:56.000And you should be proud of yourself for that.
00:53:58.000And I just think that it's good you go to school, do what you can, and you know, just stay.
00:54:04.000I'll have you as my first client, Dave.
00:54:06.000I feel like it's helped me grow as a person.
00:54:08.000I've learned so much, especially from Dave and LT.
00:54:57.000Well, I don't watch it anymore, but... Well, he said a lot of stupid things, so I could be mixing up stupid celebrities saying stupid things.
00:55:02.000I'm pretty sure he did say something, more so about this is a state of affairs in the United States, and he turned it all into a racial thing, which is what's so odd about this.
00:55:11.000How do you think... I think I know the answer, but I want to get your perspective.
00:55:15.000How do you think this was turned, or why do you think this was turned completely falsely into a racial issue?
00:55:21.000Well, people just want to push their own agenda on a case that has nothing to do with race.
00:55:25.000This is a case about self-defense, not politics, not about race, not what you believe in.
00:55:30.000It's about the right to defend yourself.
00:55:32.000But why do you think that it became that narrative in the public eye?
00:55:36.000They wanted to push their own agenda, and I think it was them trying to come after the guns.
01:01:06.000Did you go get prime rib or something?
01:01:08.000No, I wanted McDonald's chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce and Dave came through and got chicken nuggets and that's how I knew This guy's a good dude.
01:02:00.000Oh, looks like you're going back to jail.
01:02:02.000I don't know why I like to ask that, but there's always got to be something that makes you happy instantly, and I assume it was food, right?
01:03:05.000I thought it was incredible, and so many people got mad at the judge, but I was very, very happy that he pointed out that you had every right to do that, and I think that that made you look a lot classier, just the fact that you were doing that anyway.
01:03:20.000I think you let the system work, you were trying to let your lawyers do their job, you weren't doing a bunch of interviews, you weren't doing any, you were just, you were letting the system work.
01:03:28.000And the fact that he was trying to demonize you for that, I found to be pathetic.
01:03:32.000And I think it was so clear that he was trying to score political points when you took the stand.
01:03:36.000In other words, you're waiting until you can take the stand to say it accurately, and then he's saying, yeah, but before... What were you about to say?
01:03:43.000The funny thing is, as soon as... Everybody was in shock when I got called to the stand.
01:03:48.000I don't know what you guys were thinking.
01:04:03.000I told them I want to take the stand and they agreed with me.
01:04:07.000And I was like, I want to tell my story.
01:04:09.000But you were about to say something about, I was saying that it was clear he was trying to score
01:04:12.000political points talking about you exercising your fifth when you took the stand. And you
01:04:16.000were about to say something. So the funny thing is, right before, everybody was in shock in the room.
01:04:22.000And my lawyer was like, we now call Kyle Reddenhaus to the stand. And I'm like, let's do this game day.
01:04:29.000And then we get up there and the jury gets sent out and then after that you see ADA Binger just sprinting as fast as you can with like the flash to get that giant notepad he's been wanting to have.
01:04:52.000I mean, fatigue makes cowards of all men.
01:04:54.000That's... Well, it's why any time you're being questioned for anything, it's just, see how long you can go until you change your story.
01:05:01.000And which shows when you never did, that you're telling the truth.
01:05:05.000That's the thing, like, he kept asking me leading questions and repeating, he kept asking different questions in different ways, and I'm like, look, my story's the same.
01:05:16.000I was just getting irritated towards the end, I don't know if you could tell.
01:05:19.000I thought you were incredibly composed, honestly.
01:05:22.000I thought, if anything, you were getting a little more mechanical, just because I could see that you sort of realized, okay, I see what he's doing here, he's reframing the same question.
01:05:32.000Is that how you felt you saw the curveballs coming?
01:05:34.000Yeah, I noticed he was asking me these questions in different ways trying to get me to answer differently, and I was just like, no.
01:05:42.000I was frustrated a lot because he asked about my Call of Duty, he asked about Four Doors More Horrors, and then he asked about the fire, and I'm like, it was a fire.
01:06:37.000No one has been prosecuted as far as, like, actually, like, caged grocers for aiming a gun at you.
01:06:42.000In other words, if you were justified in self-defense, right, people who committed these, I mean, they committed arson, people who committed serious, you know, battery assault, nothing?
01:06:55.000The only person who has been charged with this, which I don't agree with, the two people.
01:07:02.000I agree with Joshua Zeminski being charged.
01:07:04.000I don't agree with Dominic being charged.
01:07:09.000He was charged with providing a firearm to a minor, which I'm not gonna, I don't want to jeopardize his case, so I don't want to talk about much of that.
01:07:17.000Did you, um, at that moment though, because you had asked the question just even to go back to it, did you think there was a really good chance there was gonna be a mistrial?
01:07:24.000I thought that, I thought that was the only outcome.
01:07:26.000Yeah, I did too for a little bit and I was curious if that's what you were feeling in the room.
01:09:27.000My cheeks at the end of the trial were so ripped up from how I had to bite my cheeks and lips like the entire trial because there was things that were just happening.
01:09:36.000So you were able to find levity in moments.
01:11:59.000That's just, that's when you start, you realize that it's a grifter where if they just accuse anyone who doesn't like them of being deep state, is he saying you're deep state?
01:12:07.000Apparently, he's accusing me of being handled, which is just false.
01:13:11.000I'll give a quick long shout out to Dave, Dave, LT, Kenny, TC, John, John's husband, Mark, Corey, Natalie, and just everybody who's helped me through this.
01:13:25.000Without them, we wouldn't be here today.
01:13:27.000And thank you to all of you guys who've supported us and donated at FreeCalUSA.org.
01:15:54.000Leave a comment below if you want more Ash Wednesdays, because every now and then people say, I don't like Ash Wednesdays, I like Ash Wednesdays, and leave your support for Kyle, because Kyle can go and check the comment section.
01:16:03.000Usually I would say don't check the comment section.