North Carolina Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn urged supporters of Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse to "be armed, be dangerous" after a jury issued their verdict in the high-profile trial.
Cawthorn issued his remarks after Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges relating to the fatal shootings of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and injuring Gaige Grosskreutz during the Kenosha unrest, which took place after police officers shot and partially paralyzed Jacob Blake, a Black man.
In an Instagram post that has since gone viral, Cawthorn asserted Rittenhouse is not guilty of the shootings he commited and said he would offer Rittenhouse an internship in his office.
You can hear what Cawthorn said in the video below.
Madison Cawthorn offers Kyle Rittenhouse “an internship," says he isn't guilty, and tells followers to also “be armed and dangerous." pic.twitter.com/m3EHnp5EOD
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 19, 2021
Cawthorn's remarks have been harshly condemned and many have called for him to be voted out of office.
Typical GOP mantra: Be armed and dangerous. Offering Rittenhouse an internship? Seriously? https://t.co/XGjsVD0b9P
— Candace (@nativelah) November 20, 2021
For the love of God, get rid of this nazi fuck https://t.co/lU0tvrVfGn
— Communist Kaiju (@CommunistKaiju) November 21, 2021
This little bastard has done nothing but cause more division in this country and why we must #VoteThemAllOut2022 #VoteBlueNoMatterWho https://t.co/iEU9f145Ob
— Rena (@rm29303) November 22, 2021
What a fucking psychopath https://t.co/HADU5HBL4b
— Greyecraft (@Greyecraft) November 19, 2021
Stop the craziness! We do NOT need idiots like this inciting more violence. There's enough already. https://t.co/d7jlgYn3yf
— Georgia E (@NCgeorgia) November 19, 2021
Protesting in America is about to get far far far more dangerous. The consequences of this travesty of justice will be far-reaching and not very hard to imagine. https://t.co/RgzcGhDGv2
— Prashant ❤️ (@CoolAssPuppy) November 19, 2021
We have too many reactionary idiots in office… I'm so worried about the future of our country… https://t.co/dCqyAjisoF
— Jacob (@SenMcLeod) November 19, 2021
This dipshit continues to astonish me, and at this point, that's on me. https://t.co/LSuEuZfP0N
— Alex Jordan (@ZappyBox) November 19, 2021
This is the Republican Party's vision for America.
And it is dark. https://t.co/5Klos3DYEC
— Angelo Cocchiaro (@angelo4america) November 19, 2021
Cawthorn has a history of calling for violent confrontation and has for months been among the more prominent Republicans to elevate former President Donald Trump's conspiracy theories about the integrity of the 2020 general election, alleging that the process was fraudulent.
He made headlines over the summer when he warned, during an event hosted by the Macon County Republican Party in Franklin, North Carolina, of "bloodshed" if elections "continue to be rigged," despite evidence to the contrary.
Cawthorn also spoke at the "Stop the Steal" rally ahead of the January 6 insurrection, which took place when a mob of former President Trump's stormed the United States Capitol on the false premise that the 2020 election had been stolen, and referred to rioters in police custody as "political hostages" and "political prisoners."
And Cawthorn even has a history of unlawfully carrying weapons, as when he sparked controversy when he was accused of bringing a large knife to a school board meeting in his district.
Cawthorn, who appeared at the school board meeting to protest COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates, denied the allegations, saying he didn't "know anything about it."
Back in February, Cawthorn was stopped at the Asheville Regional Airport after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents discovered an unloaded Glock 9mm handgun and loaded magazine in Cawthorn's carry-on luggage.
Cawthorn's gun was confiscated. He was allowed to retrieve it when he returned to Asheville.
