OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
In their zeal to paint the situation as bad as they could for Kyle Rittenhouse and those who were against the riots that took place after Jacob Blake was shot by police, Democrats and some in the media made some major mistakes.
First, there was DCCC chairman Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.
“It’s disgusting and disturbing that someone was able to carry a loaded assault rifle into a protest against the unjust killing of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, and take the lives of two people and injure another – and face absolutely no consequences,” he said.
DCCC chair Sean Patrick Maloney (the guy who hired convicted attempted murderer Dyjuan Tatro) falsely claims that Jacob Blake was killed. Shows how much these guys actually know about the cases they're commenting on. pic.twitter.com/I2OkKGZ5EQ
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) November 19, 2021
Then there was CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on his primetime news coverage of the acquittal of Rittenhouse.
“First the killing of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer,” he said as he began his program on Friday before talking about the Rittenhouse verdict.
Just one issue. Jacob Blake is still alive. In fact, just two days ago The Daily Mail published a report about his family members who were commenting on Blake’s progress.
“He has bad days, there’s no doubt, but he’s so grateful to be alive,” his uncle Justin Blake said.
He said that Blake was not really following the Rittenhouse trial two days before the verdict was reached.
“He needs to be focusing on himself, focusing on his children and his new normal,” his uncle said.
During an interview in August Jacob Blake who, again, is still alive, said that he believed Rittenhouse would have met a similar fate as he did if he were black.
“That was like a kick right in the you know what,” he said. “I was angry, I was furious, and I felt like I had every right to be.”
“For the reasons they said they shot me, they had every reason to shoot him, but they didn’t. Honestly if his skin color was different, and I’m not prejudiced or a racist, he probably would have been labeled a terrorist,” he said.
But that did not work for Democrats who wanted to use the tragedy to push its talking points.
Liberals, including President Joe Biden, did not approve of the verdict.
“I stand by what the jury has concluded. The jury system works and we have to abide by it,” he said to reporters at the White House.
But after some time, he issued an official statement in which he described himself as “angry” at the verdict.
“While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken. I ran on a promise to bring Americans together, because I believe that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. I know that we’re not going to heal our country’s wounds overnight, but I remain steadfast in my commitment to do everything in my power to ensure that every American is treated equally, with fairness and dignity, under the law,” he said.
“I urge everyone to express their views peacefully, consistent with the rule of law. Violence and destruction of property have no place in our democracy. The White House and Federal authorities have been in contact with Governor Evers’s office to prepare for any outcome in this case, and I have spoken with the Governor this afternoon and offered support and any assistance needed to ensure public safety,” he said.
He was joined by New York Rep. Jerry Nadler who called for a federal investigation into the verdict.
“This heartbreaking verdict is a miscarriage of justice and sets a dangerous precedent which justifies federal review by DOJ. Justice cannot tolerate armed persons crossing state lines looking for trouble while people engage in First Amendment-protected protest,” he said in a tweet.
This heartbreaking verdict is a miscarriage of justice and sets a dangerous precedent which justifies federal review by DOJ. Justice cannot tolerate armed persons crossing state lines looking for trouble while people engage in First Amendment-protected protest. https://t.co/Uh95Uc1Ddo
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) November 19, 2021
And they were joined by two more voices from New York.
“Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum are victims. They should be alive today. The only reason they’re not is because a violent, dangerous man chose to take a gun across state lines and start shooting people. To call this a miscarriage of justice is an understatement,” New York City Mayor said on Twitter.
“The far-right trolls who think it makes a difference whether a violent gunman got his weapon before or after he crossed state lines are missing the point: two people are dead and their killer is left unaccountable. That’s not justice and they know it,” he said.
The far-right trolls who think it makes a difference whether a violent gunman got his weapon before or after he crossed state lines are missing the point: two people are dead and their killer is left unaccountable. That’s not justice and they know it.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) November 19, 2021
“What we are witnessing is a system functioning as designed and protecting those it was designed for. My heart still breaks for the communities and families whose grief now compounds, and the countless others who will be denied and deprived in similar scenes across the country,” New York Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said.
What we are witnessing is a system functioning as designed and protecting those it was designed for.
My heart still breaks for the communities and families whose grief now compounds, and the countless others who will be denied and deprived in similar scenes across the country.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 19, 2021
