Jen Psaki said she won't comment on Kyle Rittenhouse trial... and then she did THIS
Jen Psaki was asked by reporters in a press briefing after the closing arguments in Kyle Rittenhouse's case on November 15 to explain why the troubled teenager was branded "white supremacist" by Joe Biden immediately after he killed 2 people and injured one at the Kenosha riots. She told the press that she would reserve her comments given this was an ongoing trial but what she said later has raised eyebrows. Former White House Press Secretary for Donald Trump, Kayleigh McEnany said Psaki contradicted herself in front of the press.
Speaking of Rittenhouse's trial, the jury couldn't reach a verdict at the end of the first day of deliberations on November 16. Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and claimed he used his AR-15-style automatic rifle on protestors after being attacked. The teen's defense counsel said he was also carrying a medical kit on him and wanted to provide medical aid to the injured. Rittenhouse's mother spoke to an outlet describing how she felt during the trial which began on November 2. In the same interview, Wendy added she believes the weapon her son carried was for protection and it saved him from getting murdered.
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Psaki refused to provide an explanation for Biden's opinion on Rittenhouse before it was litigated saying, "What I'm not going to speak to right now is anything about an ongoing trial nor the president's past comments." But in the next breath, she appeared to contradict herself saying, "What I can reiterate for you is the president's view that we shouldn't have, broadly speaking, vigilantes patrolling our communities with assault weapons." She continued, "We shouldn't have opportunists corrupting peaceful protests by rioting and burning down the communities they claim to represent – anywhere in the country."
In September 2020, two months before Biden received sweeping victory in the Presidential elections, he had criticized former President Trump for refusing to condemn people against the BLM riots as "white supremacists." His tweet included an image of Rittenhouse, 17 at the time, and it read, "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." Psaki was pressed on Biden's comments by Fox News' Peter Doocy on the day of the closing arguments where she once again declined comment saying, "I just have nothing more to speak to an ongoing case."
McEnenay condemned Psaki's comments in a chat with Fox News' Sean Hannity. "Let me say how deeply irresponsible of Jen Psaki to say what she said. If you really don't want to comment on an ongoing case, guess what, Sean, you don't comment on an ongoing case. But Jen Psaki said, 'I won't comment on an ongoing case, but – wink, wink, nudge, nudge – we're against the vigilante with an assault rifle'" McEnenay added. Like McEnenay people on social media slammed Psaki for her comments. "@PressSec deserves a defamation lawsuit IMO," an irate Twitter user wrote. "She is SUCH a HORRENDOUS, LYING TROLL!!!" tweete