(NewsInsights.org) – Kyle Rittenhouse, 20, issued a pre-release of his new book, “Acquitted,” on November 20. In it, he addresses his perspective on his experiences of the 2020 Kenosha, Wisconsin, incident that a jury deemed self-defense. To promote sales, Rittenhouse is making the rounds on a book tour, talking with willing interviewers and podcasters to generate interest. So, the young man likely thought an interview with Piers Morgan would primarily focus on his book.
Instead, Morgan verbally attacked Rittenhouse, asking the same offensive question three times as if he expected a different answer. The interviewer asked how the defender felt about killing two people and wounding a third. Rittenhouse, who suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), pointed out how inappropriate he thought the question was. Yet, he answered, truthfully, that it was difficult to live with the knowledge that he’d taken two lives.
Rittenhouse said he suffered nightmares, trauma, and PTSD, and acknowledged it was something he would have to contend with for the rest of his life. However, he also defended his actions, saying he reacted in self-defense. Rittenhouse added that had he failed to take action, he believed he would have died that night in Kenosha.
Morgan followed up with another incredibly insensitive question. He asked Rittenhouse whether he felt comfortable making money from a book about an incident where two people lost their lives because of his actions. The young man replied that he hadn’t written the book to make money. He hoped the book would “change the narrative” supplied by media outlets who called him a “white supremacist racist.” He categorically denied that allegation. He said he was a 17-year-old kid in Kenosha forced to defend himself that night.
He wrote the book to convey his story without media filters. In the book, he discussed his circumstances growing up and the challenges he faces now, resulting from everything he experienced.
One of the last questions Morgan asked concerned the level of harassment and threat Rittenhouse faced. Acknowledging an earlier statement from the young man that he faces constant death threats, Morgan asked whether promoting his book on national TV, social media, and podcasts might not raise the threat level further. Rittenhouse agreed that it probably would but told the interviewer it was worth the risk to share his story, and he hoped it might also help or inspire others.
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