Kyle Rittenhouse to sue media outlets and personalities including Whoopi Goldberg for spreading ‘lies’

Teenager has delighted and puzzled right-wing supporters since he was found not guilty on multiple charges stemming from Kenosha protest where he shot two people dead

Teenage shooter and right-wing hero Kyle Rittenhouse is launching a fund to raise money for lawsuits against media figures whom he says have spread “lies” about him.

In an interview with Fox News’s Tucker Carlson, Mr Rittenhouse named various potential targets for legal action once he solicits enough donations to mount lawsuits.

“Whoopi Goldberg is on the list,” he said, “she called me a murderer after I was acquitted by a jury of my peers. She went on to still say that. And there’s others, don’t forget about Cenk [Uygur] from the Young Turks. He called me a murderer before [the] verdict and continues to call me a murderer.”

Mr Rittenhouse has also vocally condemned President Joe Biden for including him in a campaign ad montage that referred to “white supremacy”.

Having attended an anti-racism protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020 and shot two people dead with an assault-style rifle, Mr Rittenhouse was cleared of all charges in a high-profile homicide trial last November.

He has been hailed as a hero by many on the more militant right, as well as by many mainstream conservatives who praised him for supposedly taking a stand on behalf of “law and order” at a time when many American cities were seeing mass demonstrations against police violence.

However, he complicated his image with his right-wing fanbase somewhat in an interview with Mr Carlson after the verdict when he said he “support[s] the Black Lives Matter movement”.

Mr Rittenhouse’s previous legal ventures have been somewhat chequered. Before his trial, he was for a while represented by right-wing attorney Lin Wood, who went on to play a conspicuous role in the failed effort to overturn Mr Biden’s 2020 victory. Mr Rittenhouse has since criticised Mr Wood and others for allegedly profiting off his name while he languished in custody.