Kyle Rittenhouse Gonna SUE Everyone Who Says He Killed Those People He Killed

He’s not a good guy.

Kyle Rittenhouse got away with murder. Wait, let’s rephrase that so the lawyers don’t go crazy:  Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot two people, permanently injured a third, and a jury acquitted him of all charges. He’s a free man, but instead of celebrating his good fortune onthe nation’s finest golf courses, all he can do is complain.

REMEMBER? What The F*ck Happened At The Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Yesterday 

A grumpy Rittenhouse appeared on Tucker Carlson’s "Young Vigilante Showcase" Monday and declared his plans to launch a charitable foundation to assist the small business owners in Kenosha, Wisconsin, he was so eager to violently defend. No, just kidding. He’s starting something called the “Media Accountability Project.” He’s not 17 anymore and will now assault his enemies with go-nowhere nuisance suits. Considering his established pattern of resolving conflict, this is arguably an improvement.

 Here’s some video if you feel like punishing yourself.

TUCKER: "Will you be suing any news organizations?" KYLE RITTENHOUSE: "We're looking at quite a few, politicians, athletes, celebrities, Whoppi Goldberg is on the list, she called me a murderer after I was acquitted... So is Cenk ^{{Uyhur}}^ from the Young Turks."pic.twitter.com/MULZf38Vkf

— Greg Price (@Greg Price) 1645494404 

CARLSON: Will you be suing any of these news organizations and if so when?

RITTENHOUSE: We're looking at quite a few, politicians, celebrities, athletes, Whoopi Goldberg is on the list. She called me a murderer after I was acquitted by a jury of my peers. She went on to still say that. And there's others, don't forget about Cenk [Uygur] from the Young Turks. He called me a murderer before verdict and continues to call me a murderer.

As a frequent Fox News guest, Rittenhouse might have trouble identifying a legitimate news organization, but politicians, athletes, celebrities, and Whoopi Goldberg aren’t news organizations. Rittenhouse is upset that Goldberg referred to him as a murderer after he was acquitted. Technically, he's only admitted to double homicide. (“Double homicider” doesn’t quite have the same ring as “murderer.”) There’s a legal distinction, sure, but good luck proving that Goldberg understands it and thus knowingly defamed him on-air rather than correctly observing he’d killed two people.

This is an obvious cash grab, but it’s nonetheless amusing to see Rittenhouse whine about media accountability while on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program. That Fox News still exists and Carlson himself isn’t wearing a big barrel held up by suspenders after personally losing multiple lawsuits should demonstrate how difficult it is to successfully sue people for defamation. Sarah Palin sued the New York Times and all she had to show for it was a potential COVID-19 outbreak. 

REMEMBER? BREAKING: Jury, Judge Agree New York Times Did Not Defame Sarah Palin 

Rittenhouse is also offended that people have called him a “white supremacist,” but that’s hardly damaged his reputation in rightwing circles. He was offered congressional internships and received a standing ovation at last year’s Conservative Political Action Conference. It’s more career-derailing to claim he was the lead in the Dear Evan Hansen movie.

Former MSNBC anchor David Shuster tweeted:  "The courts have long established that calling somebody a “murderer” is an opinion + a legal right, even after the person is found 'not guilty.’ At that point, one can still call them a murderer, just not a 'convicted murderer.' Nobody has called Rittenhouse that. He has no case.”

When the spoiled baby double killer threatened to sue President Joe Biden last year for defamation, University of Michigan law professor Barbara McQuade, a former US attorney, said, “By inserting himself into the civil unrest in Kenosha, Rittenhouse voluntarily became a limited purpose public figure, which subjects defamation claims against him to the actual malice standard.” 

Rittenhouse has also consistently chosen to remain in the public eye rather than going away. The Media Accountability Project is actively raising money from people who deserve to lose it. Profiting from your double homicide is perhaps the lowest a person can go, but unlike his victims, Rittenhouse has a full life ahead of him to get even worse.

[ Newsweek ]

 Follow Stephen Robinson on  Twitter.  

 Do your Amazon shopping through this link, because reasons .

Yr Wonkette is 100 percent ad-free and entirely supported by reader donations. That's you! Please click the clickie, if you are able.