CBS Deletes Post Saying Kyle Rittenhouse ‘Murdered’ Two Men

Kyle Rittenhouse testifies during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis., on Nov. 10, 2021. Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP

CBS on Thursday deleted a social media post that alleged Kyle Rittenhouse “murdered two men” in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year.

Rittenhouse, 18, is on trial for fatally shooting two men and wounding another.

One of the men had his hand over Rittenhouse’s rifle barrel, according to a pathologist’s testimony. Another smacked Rittenhouse with a skateboard and was reaching for his gun, according to video footage and testimony during the trial. The third was pointing his gun at Rittenhouse when he was shot.

“Kyle Rittenhouse testified in his murder trial yesterday, breaking down in tears as he told the jury he murdered two men at a Black Lives Matter protest last year in self-defense,” a post on Twitter from CBS Mornings stated.

The post drew quick backlash, with some lawyers asserting it could be grounds for a libel case.

“Hard to believe that’s a real tweet. Straight up libel from CBS. I look forward to Rittenhouse’s numerous lawsuits, some of which will be successful,” lawyer Mike Cernovich wrote on the social media website.

“Oh, well, then. No need for trials, CBS News has delivered its verdict!” added Dan McLaughlin, a writer at National Review.

A CBS spokesperson, asked for comment, told The Epoch Times in an email that “the tweet was revised.”

The spokesperson declined to answer who cleared the post and why it was deleted.

The original post was taken down and a new one was put up that used the same language, except it replaced “murdered” with “killed.”

The situation unfolded after David Hancock, a spokesman for Rittenhouse, appeared on Fox News and called the media coverage of the shootings “absolutely irresponsible and purely abhorrent.”