Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will likely face legal action from a team representing 17-year-old Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, Fox News reported.
The report comes after Biden posted a 50-second clip to Twitter that accused Donald Trump of refusing to disavow white supremacists at Tuesday’s presidential debate. In the footage is a picture of Rittenhouse carrying a weapon at the Kenosha, Wisconsin, unrest that arose after law enforcement shot Jacob Blake seven times from behind. Rittenhouse went on to allegedly kill two protesters and has been a lightning rod for controversy. While many conservatives defending his actions as necessary self-defense, left-wing critics accuse Rittenhouse of attending to protests with the intention to kill.
There’s no other way to put it: the President of the United States refused to disavow white supremacists on the debate stage last night. pic.twitter.com/Q3VZTW1vUV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 30, 2020
According to Fox News , Lin Wood, Rittenhouse’s civil attorney, confirmed on Wednesday that he plans to sue Biden and his team for libel on behalf of Rittenhouse.
Per The Daily Mail , Wood took to Twitter to announce his plans.
“[A] formal demand for public retraction is being prepared for Biden/Harris Campaign on behalf of Kyle Rittenhouse. I also hereby demand that [Joe Biden] immediately retract his false accusation that Kyle is a white supremacist & militia member responsible for violence in Kenosha.”
The attorney admitted that he is supporting the president in 2020 but claimed to be a “non-partisan trial lawyer who aggressively pursues truth to achieve justice.”
“On behalf of Kyle Rittenhouse, I shall sue Joe Biden & Biden/Harris Campaign for libel,” he added.
Along with Wood, attorney Todd McCurty is reportedly joining the cause.
“The#Left just will not stop,” McCurty tweeted. “I am working on the retraction demand now for Mr. Biden and his campaign.”
Biden’s ad is a reference to a debate moment from Tuesday when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump to condemn white supremacists and related militia groups and call on them to cease their activities. Per BBC , the president told the extremist Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” which drew widespread criticism. On Wednesday, Trump told the group to “stand down” and claimed not to know anything about the fraternal organization.
The Fox News report pointed out that the Anti-Defamation League previously told CBS there that they conducted an investigation into Rittenhouse’s social media activity and did not find evidence that he was linked to extremist movements.
Rittenhouse is accused of killing two individuals and wounding a third. According to his legal team, he acted in self-defense. The 17-year-old is currently residing in Illinois and fighting extradition to Wisconsin, where he is being charged for the crimes.
