The facts and just the facts of the Rittenhouse case.

  • Post author:
  • Post category:Opinion

Firstly, contrary to what the liars on television are saying, Rittenhouse did NOT cross the state’s line with a firearm. This fact was shown in the courtroom. This shooting incident was NOT racially motivated. All of the people that Rittenhouse shot were white men. Rittenhouse is not a white supremacist. The media and the D.A.’s office had a year’s time to pour over what Rittenhouse had said and what he had written. No evidence was introduced in the courtroom that Rittenhouse is a racist. Moreover, the media in tandem with the Democrats labeled Rittenhouse as a white supremacist without pointing to one instance of racist behavior by Rittenhouse. 

The same actors are making a big deal that Rittenhouse was a minor in possession of a firearm. Under Wisconsin law, Rittenhouse lawfully possessed that AR-15. I find it curious the liars aren’t clutching their collective pearls of the fact that the ANTIFA mob attacked a minor. Meet the men Rittenhouse shot.

The two prosecutors in the trial were Thomas Binger and James Kraus. Evidence in the form of pictures was introduced before the court that showed Rittenhouse cleaning graffiti off of businesses. This with other evidence destroyed the narrative that Rittenhouse had only traveled to Kenosha to look for trouble. Rittenhouse that night had rendered first-aid to those who had requested aid. Rittenhouse also had put out fires the ANTIFA mob had lit. This drew the ire of Rosenbaum. Rittenhouse testified Rosenbaum told Rittenhouse he would kill him if he, Rosenbaum, found him alone.

Binger disputed the death threat was made by Rosenbaum on the grounds the threat had not been recorded on video. Of course, Binger was being an idiot to pose such a theory. Rosenbaum’s actions show with certainty that Rosenbaum did make the death threat to Rittenhouse, in my opinion. Rosenbaum started a dumpster on fire and then Rosenbaum pushed the flaming dumpster toward the gas pumps of a filling station. Rittenhouse was at the filling station. It wasn’t clear who put out the flaming dumpster. Rosenbaum with others became enraged and collectively said why did you do that? Stoked by the crowd, Rosenbaum confronted the large men with rifles, five or more, Rosenbaum said, “Shoot me, n_gger!” over and over to a large man among the men with rifles. I will point out there were homes close to the filling station.

Close by there was a car sales lot where a crowd was engaged in the destruction of the vehicles. Rittenhouse started walking back to Car Source One where he believed the rest of his friends had returned from the filling station. It appears Rosenbaum was laying in wait for Rittenhouse with a man identified as Joshua Ziminski. According to Rittenhouse’s testimony, Rosenbaum yell, “Get him!” Rittenhouse ran from Rosenbaum and Ziminski. On drone footage we see Rittenhouse approaching the car lot with Rosenbaum in hot pursuit. Rosenbaum is closing the distance between him and Rittenhouse at a fast rate.

Rosenbaum throws a plastic bag at the fleeing Rittenhouse. The plastic bag was weighted by something heavy. There is the possibility Rosenbaum was concealing a tow chain he had stolen from a parked trailer he had lit on fire. In a video, Rosenbaum is seen carrying this chain. Ziminski who is out of view fires his pistol in an attempt to stop the fleeing Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse turns to see the threat and Rosenbaum closes the distance to Rittenhouse within arm’s reach. According to a reporter who was recording this event, Rosenbaum yelled, “Fuck You!” as Rosenbaum attempted to take away Rittenhouse’s rifle. This is when Rittenhouse fired the four shots that killed Rosenbaum.

Rittenhouse is a small person. I estimate he is between five feet and five inches to five feet and nine inches tall. And no more than one hundred and forty pounds. Binger told the jury that Rittenhouse should have engaged Rosenbaum physically and fought, Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum was also a small man. However, Rosenbaum was much stouter than Rittenhouse and there was Ziminski to consider in the combat equation. Even though I tower over Rosenbaum at six feet four inches tall, I can’t say I would not have shot Rosenbaum given what had transpired.

From a street view recording, we see the rioters fleeing from the cars where Rittenhouse shot Rosenbaum. The next we see Rittenhouse, he is running down a street with ANTIFA members in hot pursuit. Someone ahead of Rittenhouse throws a rock at Rittenhouse as Rittenhouse passes him. The rock strikes Rittenhouse’s head and within a few feet, Rittenhouse falls to the ground on his back. A man known to the jury only as Jump-kick-man, kicks Rittenhouse’s head. At contact, Rittenhouse fires two shots that fail to strike Jump-kick-man. Jump-kick-man flees. It is being widely reported that the D.A. concealed the identity of the jump-kick-man from the court and the defense.

The next person to attack Rittenhouse while he is on his back is Anthony Huber. Huber swings his longboard skateboard striking Rittenhouse’s neck and head. When Huber swings for the second time, Rittenhouse { still on his back } manages to deflect the blow with his arm and the skateboard departs from the grasp of Huber. Huber retrieves the skateboard, and as Huber is in mid-swing to strike Rittenhouse’s head again, Rittenhouse fires two shots that kill Huber.

Within seconds, Rittenhouse, still on his back, is approached by Gaige Paul Grosskreutz. As Grosskreutz gets within four to five feet from Rittenhouse, Grosskreutz raises his pistol at Rittenhouse’s head. Rittenhouse fires one shot striking Grosskreutz’s bicep of the arm that is holding the pistol.

The cross examination of Grosskreutz by Defense attorney Corey Chirafis.

Corey Chirafis: With your arms up in the air, he never fired, right?

Grosskreutz: Correct.

Corey Chirafis: It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him…now with your hands down with the gun pointed at him, then he fired…right?

Grosskreutz: Correct. 

Prosecutor James Kraus' reaction to Grosskreutz's final correct.

After shooting Grosskreutz, Rittenhouse got to his feet and continued toward the police line to surrender himself. Rittenhouse approached a police cruiser. Rittenhouse told the police officer he had shot three people. The police officer said, “Get the fuck away from me! Go home!-according to Rittenhouse’s testimony. The Prosecution did not refute this account. Rittenhouse went home and turned himself in at the local police department.

Trial highlights

Prosecutor James Kraus questioning of photographer Nathan DeBruin.

James Kraus: We had you read over your statement, right?

Nathan DeBruin: Correct.

James Kraus: And we asked if you knew anything beyond that statement.

Nathan DeBruin: Correct.

James Kraus: We didn’t ask you to change it.

Nathan DeBruin: Yes, you did.

Rittenhouse took the stand in his defense. After some questioning by prosecutor Thomas Binger, Binger violated Rittenhouse’s civil rights by impugning his testimony based on Rittenhouse heeding his Miranda rights when read to him by the police.

Miranda admonishment: “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”

Thomas Binger delved into Rittenhouse’s video gameplay. Binger made a big deal that Rittenhouse had played Call of Duty. My wife’s son and I played Call of Duty every time a new edition came out. Call of Duty depicts the reenactments of battles during WWII. Thomas Binger tried to criminalize Rittenhouse’s gameplay in the eyes of the jury. Rittenhouse’s response to Thomas Binger’s assertions was, “It’s not real.” When I learned Rittenhouse had played Call of Duty, I thought that’s why he survived multiple attacks. I had to be taught how to shoot and handle myself in combat at the Sheriff’s academy. I took my wife’s son to the gun range. He had never fired a gun before. I explained the range safety rules to him and then I gave him my 357 revolver. With no instruction, the boy shot in the black of the target the very first time! The same result happened when I gave him a rifle to shoot.

Thomas Binger told the jury Rittenhouse had over a year to tell his side of the story and Rittenhouse was “tailoring” his testimony after hearing the news accounts and the witnesses’ testimonies. Judge Bruce Schroeder expressed his outrage at Thomas Binger’s misconduct while the jury was in the library. Thomas Binger literally criminalized the 5th amendment use for Rittenhouse before the jury. Thomas Binger’s conduct prompted me to add him to my Tarpeian Rock wish list. To my astonishment, Binger called those who had tried to kill Rittenhouse heroes!

In my opinion, Binger was taking his orders from the highest levels of the Democratic Party. The Democrats are appalled that anyone would defend themselves from their footsoldiers. This bears out what James Kraus said during his closing argument to the jury. James Kraus: “Everybody takes a beating sometimes.”  “too cowardly to fight his way out of the crowd by using his bare fists.”

In 2020, we all saw how successful unarmed people were when the mob came for them. Even police officers were killed by the Democrats’ ANTIFA criminals. Both Binger and Kraus falsely told the jury during closing arguments that Rittenhouse had blown off the arm of Grosskreutz’s. The jury had seen both of Grosskreutz’s arms on the witness stand. Binger told the jury that even though Grosskreutz had aimed his pistol at Rittenhouse, Rittenhouse had no right to feel threatened because his rifle was bigger than Grosskreutz’s pistol. This reasoning by Binger was insulting to the intelligence of the jury and onlookers nationwide. But okay, I’ll play Binger’s game. The pistol that Grosskreutz was aiming at Rittenhouse’s head was a Glock of a .45 caliber. Rittenhouse rifle was of the caliber of .223/5.56mm. So, therefore, Groosskreutz’s pistol was shooting bullets that were almost twice the size of Rittenhouse’s rifle.

Binger told the jury that a skateboard wielded by an adult man was NOT a deadly weapon and Rittenhouse on the ground on his back had no right of self-defense using deadly force against Huber who was wielding his skateboard to Rittenhouse’s head and neck. Below, is my response to Thomas Binger on the day he made this claim.

In the closing days of the trial, Prosecutors, Binger and Kraus tried to make the assertion that Rittenhouse had pointed his rifle at Joshua Ziminski and that was the provocation to the events that had transpired. Binger and Kraus made this claim from an FBI drone video of the filling station where Rittenhouse, Rosenbaum, and Ziminski were when Rosenbaum pushed that flaming dumpster toward the gas pumps. The video drone was from a block or more away. Kraus tried to hypnotize the Judge to see what wasn’t there. 

Judge Bruce Schroeder played the video over and over again with his face almost against the screen of the big screen high definition television. Judge Bruce Schroeder said he did see but a blob where Kraus said Rittenhouse was supposedly standing. Then Binger and Kraus had that frame from the video blown up and enhanced of the alleged event of Rittenhouse pointing his rifle at Ziminski. Judge Bruce Schroeder said all he saw was a blob again but he allowed both the video and the photo to be entered into evidence for the jury to review.

Neither of the two prosecutors, Binger or Kraus, bothered to call Ziminski to testify if it was true that Rittenhouse had pointed his rifle at him. Let’s suppose Rittenhouse did brandish his rifle at Ziminski. In the United States in every state, it’s a misdemeanor to brandish a firearm, a knife, or a deadly weapon. The only two crimes in which the government may take the life of a person are first-degree murder or treason. Misdemeanors are NOT offenses for which we execute people. Rittenhouse was fleeing from Rosenbaum and Ziminski. Rittenhouse was posing no threat to either of them. All of the people who attacked Rittenhouse under this scenario did violate Rittenhouse’s 8th amendment right against cruel and unusual punishments.

In defense attorney Mark Richards’ closing argument to the jury, he said of the still photo taken from the drone footage, “Hocus, Pocus, out of focus.” That really trigger Kraus, to my amusement. Then to my astonishment, Binger retrieved Rittenhouse’s rifle and pointed the rifle at the jury members. I took that as a threat of future retribution if the jury members didn’t reach the verdicts of guilty.

Another blatant count of misconduct by both Kraus and Binger was them charging for a crime that wasn’t committed. Binger and Kraus had brought the charge that Rittenhouse was in possession of an illegal weapon by virtue the rifle had a short barrel in violation of federal law. The rifle had the standard length barrel and they both knew it. When Judge Bruce Schroeder questioned the two, Binger and Kraus after he examined the rifle, Kraus said the state does not dispute the rifle’s barrel length. Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed the charge. For that admission, Kraus is added to my Tarpeian Rock wish list too.

Written by Mark Pullen. Published by Editor, Sammy Campbell.