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Trump Officials Were Told to Be Sympathetic to Alleged Protest Shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, Says Report

Leaked internal DHS talking points reportedly show Trump admin told officials to give the alleged Kenosha protest shooter the benefit of the doubt.

In the days after 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Trump administration reportedly instructed federal law-enforcement officials to be sympathetic toward the alleged shooter when talking publicly about the case. NBC News reports that it obtained internal Department of Homeland Security talking points that prepared officials for questions from the media. The document reportedly told officials to note that Rittenhouse “took his rifle to the scene of the rioting to help defend small business owners,” and that he was “chased and attacked by rioters before allegedly shooting three of them.” The DHS refused to comment on the leak. The talking points echo President Donald Trump’s comments on Rittenhouse, who noted the teen was “trying to get away” from protesters before shots were fired.