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Donald Trump Jr. Defends Kenosha Protest Shooter: 'We All Do Stupid Things At 17'

Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday defended Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who fatally shot two anti-racism protesters in Wisconsin last month, stating that “we all do stupid things” at that age.

During an interview with the TV show “Extra,” the president’s eldest son was asked why the Trump administration hasn’t condemned Rittenhouse’s actions.

“We’re waiting for due process,” said Trump, whose father frequently attempts to undermine due process and the rule of law. “We’re not jumping to a conclusion.”

He continued: “If I put myself in Kyle Rittenhouse [sic] ― maybe I shouldn’t have been there. He’s a young kid. I don’t want 17-year-olds running around the streets with AR-15s. Maybe I wouldn’t have put myself in that situation. Who knows? But we all do stupid things at 17.”

“Extra” correspondent Rachel Lindsay interrupted that Rittenhouse’s actions were “a little beyond stupid.”

“Really stupid — fine,” Trump said. “But we all have to let that process play out and let due process take its course.”

Police arrested Rittenhouse on August 26 at his house in Antioch, Illinois, which is about 30 minutes southwest of Kenosha. He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in connection to the deaths of two people during a demonstration held the night before to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot in the back several times by a Kenosha police officer on August 23. The shooting sparked protests in Kenosha and in other cities across the country, including in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed by police in May.

Hours before the shooting on August 25, Rittenhouse ― armed with a military-style semi-automatic rifle ― told right-wing news site The Daily Caller that he was in Kenosha to protect businesses that might be vandalized by protesters.

Bystander video obtained by The New York Times shows a group of unknown people pursuing Rittenhouse at one point...

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