White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki dodged a question about why President Joe Biden labeled Kyle Rittenhouse a white supremacist.
Fox Newsās Peter Doocy asked Psaki why Biden made that suggestion during a White House press briefing Monday.
She replied, āWhat Iām not going to speak to right now is anything about an ongoing trial, nor the presidentās past comments. What I can reiterate for you is the presidentās view that we shouldnāt have, broadly speaking, vigilantes patrolling our communities with assault weapons.ā
Psaki continued, āWe shouldnāt have opportunists corrupting peaceful protests by rioting and burning down the communities they claim to represent.ā
Watch part of the press briefing below:
Rittenhouse is on trial for shooting three men, killing two and injuring another. The shooting took place after unrest broke out in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in 2020.
During an interview with Fox News, Rittenhouseās mother Wendy blasted Biden for calling her son a white supremacist, as IJR reported.
āI was in shock. I was angry,ā Wendy Rittenhouse said, adding, āPresident Biden donāt know my son whatsoever. Heās not a white supremacist. Heās not a racist and he did that for the votes. And I was so angry for a while at him and what he did to my son, he defamed him.ā
On Monday, Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed one of the āstronger counts against Rittenhouseā moments before closing arguments, as NBC News reported.
He dismissed one count of illegal possession of a dangerous weapon. According to the outlet, āThe judge cited an exception within the law, dealing with age of the defendant, length of the barrel and hunting, for dismissing that count.ā
Still, Rittenhouse faces five other charges related to the shooting. Last week, he took to the stand to testify.
āI didnāt do anything wrong. I defended myself,ā Rittenhouse said.
