On August 25, 2020, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse wounded one and killed two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Charged with multiple counts of homicide and unlawful possession of a firearm, Rittenhouse faces a sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Conservative pundits, politicians and media figures have supported Rittenhouse, claiming that he acted in self defense. Liberals, on the other hand, have accused the young man of being a white supremacist.
CNN host Don Lemon weighed in on the Rittenhouse trial this week, taking aim at the judge.
Here's What Lemon Said
Speaking on New Day, Lemon suggested that Judge Bruce Schroeder is both racist and biased in favor of Rittenhouse and his lawyers, as reported by Fox News.
Lemon claimed that the way Schroeder talked to prosecutor Thomas Binger shows just how biased he is.
"I listen to our political pundits, and political pundits on all channels and they seem to — I guess they’re used to giving deference to a judge … the judge’s behavior. And most people are not in courtrooms every day like that," he began.
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"His behavior is, at the very least, unusual and concerning," Lemon said of Schroeder, adding that most legal experts share his opinion.
"This judge yelling at a prosecutor, anyone in the courtroom … I think it’s problematic. And I don’t think it’s normal," Lemon stated.
"You can decide or not if you think he’s biased. Most of the people I’ve seen on television who analyze, does some analysis of courtrooms, seems to think that there is a bias towards the defense," the CNN host claimed, adding that the judge was "treating Kyle Rittenhouse as if he’s his grandson."
'Racist' Joke
Lemon also suggested Schroeder made a racist joke when he talked about Asian food arriving late for lunch.
As the court was preparing for recess, Schroeder said he hoped the Asian food ordered "isn’t on one of those boats from Long Beach Harbor," apparently referring to the ongoing California port issues.
"So this is the perfect case — this one, and the one that’s happening in Georgia — these are perfect cases to bring light to what happens in our criminal justice system, in the court system, because everybody, most of these people, they think it is normal," Lemon said.
What If Rittenhouse Was Black?
Lemon argued that Rittenhouse would be treated much differently if he was Black.
"Imagine if Kyle Rittenhouse was an 18 or 17-year-old Black kid with a gun. How would people feel? How would the judge treat him? How would pundits think about this case?" the host noted.
"What about the people on the right who are making Kyle Rittenhouse out to be a choir boy because he went across state lines, inserted himself into a situation that he had nothing to do with, was carrying a gun that he wasn’t supposed to carry because he was too young?" he asked.
]]>The Inquisitr
