Rep. Thomas Massie says Kyle Rittenhouse ‘responded in self-defense’ and ‘I would not convict’

“He also exhibited incredible restraint and presence and situational awareness,” Massie added. “He didn’t empty a magazine into a crowd.”

“If I were on a jury and all I had was the evidence that I have been able to acquire through social media and the videos that are out there, I would not convict him of a single one of these charges.”

Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with six crimes, including first-degree reckless homicide, after allegedly shooting and killing two people during the riots in Kenosha after the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Evidence indicates that in the first incident that left one man dead, a shot was fired before Rittenhouse fired his weapon, and video of the second shooting death shows the teenager tripping and then being attacked by a man wielding a skateboard and a man carrying a gun.

Massie’s Republican colleague, Rep. Paul Gosar, echoed a similar sentiment about the Rittenhouse shooting posting on Twitter that the killing was “100% justified.”

“100% justified self defense,” Gosar tweeted, “Do not try to take a weapon away from a man or bear the consequences. The criminals here: Kenosha local government that allows the riots, burning and looting night after night. Armed citizens defending themselves will fill the vacuum.”

Rittenhouse’s lawyer, John Pierce, has argued that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense.

“Where are the charges for aggravated assault against Kyle Rittenhouse?” Pierce asked Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this week. “As a 17-year-old, he was legally entitled to have that firearm in his possession. This is 100% self-defense, Tucker.”

Rittenhouse and those who support his innocence have been widely criticized by some news outlets and prominent Democrats, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, who called the teenager a “domestic terrorist.”

“A domestic terrorist executed two people, and according to Tucker and his supporters this is ‘maintaining order,’” the Minnesota Democrat tweeted. “Their murderous rants have inspired many mass shooters and now they aren’t even trying to distance themselves from it, they are excusing it. God help us.”

Twitter censored the accounts of several users who expressed support for Rittenhouse, including author Ann Coulter and journalist Cassandra Fairbanks.

The Kentucky Democratic Party swiftly slammed Massie following his interview, calling on the Republican Party to “disavow” the comments.