Fox News host says Kyle Rittenhouse was ‘innocent,’ ‘demonized’

Fox News host Jeanine Pirro called Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with fatally shooting two people in Kenosha, Wis., “innocent” and “demonized” in a Tuesday interview.

Pirro defended Rittenhouse on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” classifying him as an “all-American” who was “trying to just make sure his town is safe,” although Rittenhouse traveled 20 miles from Antioch, Ill., to the Kenosha protests.

“Kyle Rittenhouse has been villainized here, and he’s been demonized, and I think it should be just the opposite,” she said. “This one kid is an innocent man. He’s looking to help, he’s all-American, and he’s trying to just make sure his town is safe.”

Pirro, who hosts “Justice with Judge Jeanine,” suggested it’s unknown if Rittenhouse fatally shot the first victim, as some people argue there were other gunshots heard in the background of videos.

“We still don’t know if Kyle did the kill shot because we can’t get the autopsy or the ballistic reports yet,” she said. “But if you move on to the second shooting, what you realize is this kid is not a mass murderer. There were several times he could’ve continued shooting. Twice he shot in the air. Once he turned around, and the guy put his hands up. He didn’t shoot him. He kept moving.”

Pirro requested the district attorney drop the charges against Rittenhouse, saying there is “no shame in exonerating a defendant if he’s not guilty.”

The judge was reacting to a video produced by a fundraising group led by Rittenhouse’s attorney that narrates what happened the night of Aug. 25. The video portrays those who were shot as criminals and shows their rap sheets while identifying Rittenhouse as a lifeguard who participates in community service, The Daily Beast reported. 

Pirro praised the video for putting “truth to the lies,” saying it is a “clear demonstration” that Rittenhouse had a “need for self-defense.”

The shootings occurred during the third night of protests in Kenosha over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse crossed state lines to reportedly protect property at the demonstration and allegedly shot and killed two people and injured another.  

Witness footage of the demonstrations showed Rittenhouse using an AR-15-style rifle and walking toward police with his hands up after the incident, although he wasn’t taken into custody.

Officials charged Rittenhouse with six criminal counts two days later, including first-degree intentional homicide.

Carlson was widely criticized after saying last month that Rittenhouse took matters into his own hands because “no one else” would maintain order in Kenosha.

Other conservative groups have rallied around Rittenhouse, including the National Foundation for Gun Rights, which raised $50,000 for the teenager for “defending himself and business owners” during the demonstrations.