- The Washington Times - Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Kyle Rittenhouse is officially in a presidential ad by Joe Biden as an example of “white supremacists” who President Trump “refused to disavow.”

“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,” Mr. Biden tweeted Wednesday after his presidential debate in Cleveland.

The 17-year-old Rittenhouse was charged with first degree intentional homicide and other charges in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during looting and riots after shooting three men who pursued him; Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, died during the confrontation.

The teenager’s attorney, Atlanta-based Lin Wood, says footage — much of which went viral on social media the night it happened — demonstrates clear acts of self-defense.

Mr. Biden’s ad features Fox News’ Chris Wallace asking the president to “condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities, as we saw in Kenosha and as we’ve seen in Portland.”

Ominous music plays as Mr. Rittenhouse’s image flashes across the screen, which was seen nearly 2 million times within hours.

No evidence has been provided that Mr. Rittenhouse is a white supremacist, belongs to a militia or a member of Proud Boys, a far-right group the president told to “stand back and stand by.”

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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