Cawthorn praises Rittenhouse verdict, tells supporters: ‘Be armed, be dangerous.’
Following a not-guilty verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse on Friday, Rep. Madison Cawthorn offered the 18-year-old an internship and told people on Instagram to “be armed, be dangerous and be moral.”
Rittenhouse faced charges for shooting three people during turbulent protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year, killing two and wounding the other. A jury found Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges on Friday.
On Instagram, Cawthorn said in a video: “Kyle Rittenhouse is not guilty, my friends. You have a right to defend yourselves. Be armed, be dangerous and be moral.”
In a text box, Cawthorn told Rittenhouse to reach out if he wanted an internship.
Cawthorn announced last week that he will run for Congress in North Carolina’s newly drawn 13th District, which includes part of Mecklenburg County and extends west to Polk, McDowell and Burke counties. He currently represents western North Carolina.
Other politicians have thrown their support toward Rittenhouse as well.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told his supporters in a fundraising email that Rittenhouse “did what we should want citizens to do in such a situation: step forward to defend the community against mob violence,” according to the news website Florida Politics.
Rep. Matt Gaetz told Newsmax that Rittenhouse deserved a not-guilty verdict and also said he would consider giving him an internship.
Leading up to the trial, Rittenhouse became an icon for some conservative groups. Fundraising poured in to support him and his family — more than enough to cover his $2 million bail.
Rittenhouse charged in shooting
Rittenhouse arrived in Kenosha during tumultuous protests after a police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back. Blake was paralyzed as result of the shooting, in August 2020.
State officials said the officers were responding to what they described as a domestic violence incident, according to The New York Times. The officer was not charged.
Protests erupted soon after the shooting, and they came on the heels of mass racial justice demonstrations that captivated the country during the summer of 2020.
Kenosha’s protests were at times peaceful and at times destructive. Some demonstrators set buildings on fire and clashed with police. Rittenhouse was one of dozens of people who descended on Kenosha, armed with semi-automatic rifles, with the stated goal of protecting businesses and offering medical support.
On Aug. 25, Rittenhouse shot three people — one who chased him into a parking lot, and another two who tried to catch him as he left the scene of the shooting. Rittenhouse’s defense claimed he was protecting himself.
Cawthorn: ‘Be armed, be dangerous.’
Cawthorn, 26, drew a passionate mix of reactions last week when he announced he would run in North Carolina’s new 13th District.
Throughout his short career in politics, Cawthorn has amassed a reputation as one of the most controversial politicians in Washington. Among other things, he has referred to Jan. 6 rioters as “political prisoners” and issued a warning that another stolen election — referencing the false claim that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election through fraud — could result in bloodshed.
Some prominent Republicans in Mecklenburg County said they were caught off-guard by his switch to the new 13th. Others went further. Charles Jeter, a Republican former state representative and Huntersville town board member, told the Observer that Cawthorn was “a joke, and unfortunately as a resident of the 13th District I don’t want the joke to be on us.”
Cawthorn pitched his shift from western North Carolina to the 13th as a way to stop another “go-along-get-along Republican” from winning the seat. Political observers had assumed that NC House Speaker Tim Moore would run for the seat, though he announced that he would not shortly after Cawthorn posted about his intentions.
Some residents of the 13th objected to Cawthorn’s pitch, including Susan Tillis, the wife of Sen. Thom Tillis.
“I can assure you that those of us in the new 13 didn’t need any intervention,” she wrote on Twitter, “and we are capable of making our own decisions.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Cawthorn praises Rittenhouse verdict, tells supporters: ‘Be armed, be dangerous.’."
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