Kyle Rittenhouse threatens to sue Whoopi Goldberg for allegedly calling him a ‘murderer’
Rittenhouse has compiled a list of media companies and individuals that he plans to take legal action against
Three months after Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges in the shooting deaths of two protesters in Kenosha, Wis., he now plans to sue the media, “celebrities, politicians, and athletes” including Whoopi Goldberg for calling him a murderer and white supremacist.
As reported by Yahoo, Rittenhouse, 19, appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight Monday to speak about launching the Media Accountability Project to raise money to pay for his potentially hefty legal fees.
Rittenhouse says he and his team have compiled a list of media companies and individuals that they plan to face off against in court “for the lies they said” about him.
“Right now we’re looking at quite a few,” Rittenhouse said. “Politicians, celebrities, athletes. Whoopi Goldberg’s 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 the verdict and continues to call me a murderer.”
In November, Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges after pleading self-defense in the deadly Kenosha shootings, The Associated Press reported.
The teenager, per The AP, “had been charged with homicide, attempted homicide and reckless endangering after killing two men and wounding a third with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle during a tumultuous night of protests over police violence against Black people in the summer of 2020.”
The overwhelmingly white jury deliberated for close to 3 1/2 days.
Rittenhouse, who is white — as were those he shot — was facing life in prison if found guilty on the most serious charge of first-degree murder.
Prior to the trial, Rittenhouse was labeled a white supremacist while out on bail after he appeared to flash a white power sign at a bar, NBC reported. Rittenhouse told Carlson that he intends to sue anyone who called him a white supremacist.
“We are going to hold everybody who’s lied about me accountable,” Rittenhouse said. “Such as…everybody’s who’s lied, called me a white supremacist. They’re all gonna be held accountable and we’re going to handle them in a courtroom.”
Rittenhouse was 17 when he traveled from his home in Antioch, Illinois, to Kenosha amid violent protests over the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a white police officer.
Armed with a weapon that authorities said was illegally purchased for the teenager, Rittenhouse, claimed his intention was to simply protect property and provide medical aid. Bystander and drone video captured the critical moments leading to Rittenhouse killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and protester Anthony Huber, 26, and wounding demonstrator Gaige Grosskreutz, now 28, per The AP.
Rittenhouse explained to Carlson that the Media Accountability Project will support anyone who wants to sue the media.
“I don’t want to see anybody else have to deal with what I went through,” he said.
This article contains additional reporting from The Associated Press.
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