The murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse—one of multiple high profile right-wing vigilante cases in the country—continues to grip the nation as the jury begins deliberations.
Last year, during the period of unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, then-17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse rode from his home in Illinois for what he said was an effort to protect property and provide medical care. Armed with an AR-15, Rittenhouse shot three protesters, killing two of them, before the night was over.
Rittenhouse's lawyers argue that he shot the three victims out of self-defense, while the prosecution argues that Rittenhouse had no business being there in the first place and that his life was never in immediate danger.
The teenager has become a hero of the far-right, spotted taking pictures with fans at a bar just hours after a court hearing, wearing a "free as f**k" t-shirt and making white power gestures.
Now, a far-right congressional candidate in Ohio—JR Majewski—is once again lionizing Rittenhouse and endorsing vigilante "justice" as a valid way of countering unrest.
Majewski shared a photo of the popular Marvel superhero, Captain America, with Rittenhouse's faced superimposed under Cap's mask.
Captain Americapic.twitter.com/IWdP6GND71— JR Majewski for Congress (@JR Majewski for Congress) 1637060495
Majewski's tweet comes amid a wave of right-wing praise for Rittenhouse's action. Far-right Congresswoman and prominent conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has spent much of the week praising Rittenhouse on Twitter and even encouraging her followers to buy AR-15s. Her colleague, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, claims Rittenhouse has become the "number one target" of the left.
Majewski's praise of Rittenhouse sparked widespread backlash.
This is fascism.https://twitter.com/JRMajewski/status/1460563696418234369\u00a0\u2026— Max Berger (@Max Berger) 1637078197
Was there an issue of Captain America where he sucker-punches a girl from behind? https://twitter.com/thetnholler/status/1458496366578126853?s=21\u00a0\u2026\n\nAnd did he flash a white power sign after killing two people in one of the movies? @ChrisEvans help us out we may be forgetting.https://twitter.com/jrmajewski/status/1460563696418234369\u00a0\u2026— The Tennessee Holler (@The Tennessee Holler) 1637078361
This is what an actual person is tweeting to help his bid for Congress. America is lost.https://twitter.com/jrmajewski/status/1460563696418234369\u00a0\u2026— Ed Greenberger (@Ed Greenberger) 1637089829
Welp, looks like I'm rooting for Thanos in this branch of the timeline... https://twitter.com/JRMajewski/status/1460563696418234369\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/q0qLJYDJ6b— Matt Modderno (@Matt Modderno) 1637090857
The Republican Party celebrating murderers.https://twitter.com/JRMajewski/status/1460563696418234369\u00a0\u2026— Emily C. Singer (@Emily C. Singer) 1637078181
We need a new word for how disgusting this ishttps://twitter.com/jrmajewski/status/1460563696418234369\u00a0\u2026— Rebecca Fachner (@Rebecca Fachner) 1637078318
What's even scarier is that Majewski could potentially win the seat he's campaigning for.
A pro-Trump Congressional candidate who could realistically win\u2026portraying the defendant in a double murder trial as a superhero. America\u2019s political culture is so profoundly broken.https://twitter.com/jrmajewski/status/1460563696418234369\u00a0\u2026— Brian Klaas (@Brian Klaas) 1637083304
This is so gross. \n\nI struggled with retweeting it because I feel like it gives JR Majewski (whoever that is) too much attention for his insurrectionist congressional race.\n\nKyle Rittenhouse as Captain America \u2014 this is what they want in 2021. Wow.https://twitter.com/jrmajewski/status/1460563696418234369\u00a0\u2026— Chris Wiggins \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Chris Wiggins \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1637082314
Kyle Rittenhouse as Captain America - from a Trump campaign vet running for Congress in Ohio, on a new map that makes him a slight favorite to beat Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D).https://twitter.com/JRMajewski/status/1460563696418234369\u00a0\u2026— David Weigel (@David Weigel) 1637078048
We won't know until after next year's midterms if Majewski will bring this behavior to the House of Representatives.
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