Kyle Rittenhouse's Mum Says Her Son 'Not a White Supremacist' as She Scolds Biden for 'Defaming' Him

Kyle Rittenhouse is currently on trial as he faces charges, including murder, for shooting three men and killing two during an altercation at racial justice riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020. The 18-year-old remains adamant in denying any wrongdoing and claiming self-defence.

The mother of Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse has lashed out at US President Joe Biden for suggesting her son was a white supremacist in the fall of 2020.

"When I saw that I was shocked, I was angry. President Biden don't [sic] know my son whatsoever, and he's not a white supremacist. He's not a racist. And [Biden] did that for the votes. And I was so angry for a while at him and what he did to my son, he defamed him", Wendy Rittenhouse told Fox News on Thursday.

Wendy Rittenhouse, mother of Kyle Rittenhouse exits The Kenosha County Courthouse, after attending jury selection in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S., November 1, 2021

© REUTERS / BRENDAN MCDERMID

She was echoed by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), who said in an interview with the same broadcaster that he wants to focus "on what Joe Biden said last year, which is calling this young man [Kyle Rittenhouse] a white supremacist based on a few seconds of video".

"As I often say, when there's a shooting like this, you shouldn't jump to conclusions based on some video circulating on social media. You should allow all the facts to be collected and make a reasoned judgment. But when Joe Biden called Kyle Rittenhouse a white supremacist last year, it really was just the go-to move of the Democrats. They do this all the time when they're losing an argument on the merits", Cotton claimed.

He referred to the developments in early October 2020, when then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted that "the president of the United States refused to disavow white supremacists on the debate stage last night".

The tweet had a 50-second video attached, in which Rittenhouse's image was seen. The clip inferred that the teenager was a white supremacist. Trump, for his part, told Fox News shortly after the presidential debate that he "condemns all white supremacists".

Kyle Rittenhouse Trial

Kyle Rittenhouse is now on trial as he is accused of killing two protesters and seriously injuring a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on 25 August 2020, amid riots over the police shooting of African American man Jacob Blake two days earlier.

The teenager is charged with two counts of first-degree homicide, one count of first-degree attempted homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18. The murder charges could carry a life sentence.

Rittenhouse insists that he acted in self-defence, arguing he did not intend to kill anyone, but wanted to "protect" the property and businesses being looted and ransacked by the rioters in Kenosha. His defence team called for a mistrial with prejudice - something that, if greenlighted by the judge, will bar the prosecution from appealing the decision.

The killings took place amid a series of protests and violent rioting, which hit Kenosha after a video of a white police officer shooting Blake in the back seven times emerged online. According to the victim's family, the 29-year-old, who survived the shooting, is now paralysed from the waist down.