MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Judge at Rittenhouse trial tells jury 'ignore Biden', Internet says 'he made it political'

Ahead of the verdict, Judge Bruce Schroeder told the jury to ignore the opinion of POTUS, who once labeled Rittenhouse a 'white supremacist'

The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial told the jury to ignore "everyone's opinion" including that of President Joe Biden before they retired on Tuesday, November 16, to consider their verdict. 

As the city of Kenosha braced for protests ahead of the verdict, Judge Bruce Schroeder told the jury to not take into account the opinion of POTUS, who once labeled Rittenhouse a "white supremacist." His predecessor, Donald Trump had, on the other hand, described Rittenhouse as someone who acted in self-defense. The jury are to ignore these opinions before coming to a verdict. "You will pay no heed to the opinions of anyone, including to the President of the United States and the President before him," Schroeder said, adding, "Members of the jury the time has come when the great burden of reaching a just fair and conscious decision in this case will be placed with you jurors," as he reminded them this power is handed to them and them alone. He added, "I charge you to keep your duty steadfastly in mind and to as upright citizens to return just and true verdicts."

READ MORE

Kyle Rittenhouse's mother dubbed 'crazy' for saying Biden defamed him in campaign video

Kyle Rittenhouse: As acquittal looks possible, National Guard put on alert in Kenosha

Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and other counts for killing Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz on August 25, 2020, when Kenosha held peaceful protests over the police shooting of Jacob Black. The case has stirred a fierce debate in the nation over guns, vigilantism and law and order. The jury has not been sequestered as they began deliberations on Tuesday, November 16. 

What did Biden say about Rittenhouse?

Last week, Rittenhouse’s mother accused President Joe Biden of defaming her son over a video he tweeted last year suggesting the Illinois teen is a "white supremacist." During an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, the host referenced a video Biden made after last year’s chaotic presidential debate with former POTUS Donald Trump. In the debate, Trump infamously said, 'Stand back and stand by,' after he was repeatedly challenged by the moderator as well as Biden to condemn white supremacists. Biden’s Twitter account later posted a video with the caption, “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.”

The tweet featured footage of the white supremacists in Charlottesville. As the audio of Chris Wallace referencing violence in Kenosha played, the clip showed an image of Kyle, 18, wielding a semi-automatic rifle. At the time, it was reported that Rittenhouse was suing Biden for defamation.

Hannity asked Kyle's mother Thursday, “When the then-candidate, now President of the United States, and other elected officials, that don’t know anything about your son refer to him as a white supremacist, I have yet to see any evidence whatsoever that he is such a person. When prominent people say that, how did that impact you and how did it impact him?”

“I was in shock. I was angry,” she responded. “President Biden don’t know my son whatsoever. He’s not a white supremacist. He’s 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.”

'He wanted to say 'Let's Go Brandon''

After the clip of Schroeder telling the jury to ignore Biden's opinion about Rittenhouse went viral, the judge got slammed. "People Term limits & age limits for judges please," one of them said, while another noted, "Man, this judge is all over the map. He said earlier this case was not political. He just made it political with that statement." A third commented, "'Pay no attention to these things I’m mentioning for no reason'" One more wrote, "I can't believe a judge is allowed to get away with his hostile behavior toward prosecution."

Another added, "That dinosaur is powerful figure in Wisconsin, seated in 1983 I’ve read and re-elected since then." A commenter tweeted, "You know what he really wanted to say was 'Let's Go Brandon'" The next remarked, "Coming from the same judge who previously instructed the jury to give a round of applause to a defense witness right before he took the stand to testify." A person reacted with, "'So I said they should ignore Biden and Trump’s opinions but you saw me wink on the last part, right?' - Judge Schroeder during his Newsmax job interview."