Matt Gaetz Says He Wants To Hire Kyle Rittenhouse As An Intern

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said Wednesday on his program “Firebrand with Matt Gaetz” that he would hire Kyle Rittenhouse as his congressional intern.

Rittenhouse, 18, is accused of four felony charges: first-degree intentional homicide; first-degree reckless homicide; attempted first-degree intentional homicide; and endangering safety.

He claimed he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed two people and wounded a third with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle in August 2020 during unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man.

The jury continues to deliberate in the Rittenhouse murder trial. If found guilty, the sentences range from over 12 years to life in prison.

“You know what, Kyle Rittenhouse would probably make a pretty good congressional intern. We may reach out to him and see if he’d be interested in helping the country in additional ways,” said Gaetz, who has a history of making controversial statements.

The jury is in its third day of deliberations after re-watching drone footage presented by the defense intending to declare the trial a mistrial. According to Rittenhouse's defense, the then 17-year-old did not go to the protests to start violence. He went to help protect private property and assist police officers and emergency personnel.

Gaetz seemed to agree with this view.

“Kyle Rittenhouse is not guilty and deserves a not guilty verdict. In fact, he’d make a great Congressional Intern,” Gaetz doubled down in a tweet Wednesday morning.

Gaetz also took issue with the sentencing of the "QAnon Shaman." Jacob Chansley, a 34-year-old Phoenix man known for dressing in a Viking hat and fur vest, was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in prison for his role in storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.

“This QAnon Shaman is a relatively harmless, nonviolent vegan and the notion that he has to be in prison for three and a half years to settle some sort of political score defies justice,” Gaetz said on his program.

Gaetz faces a Department of Justice investigation into sex trafficking allegations. In May, Gaetz's associate Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.

“The American people deserve a Department of Justice that is the least political agency in Washington, and instead what we’ve got is a Department of Justice that is the most political agency in Washington,” Gaetz said.