Sandy MaloneKenosha County, WI – The assistant district attorney who is prosecuting Kyle Rittenhouse for murder has been the subject of criticism from both sides of the fence, and now the prosecutor is being doxed in the same way many Republicans and law enforcement officers have been over the past couple of years.
Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger has aggressively prosecuted the 18-year-old Rittenhouse for killing two men and wounding another during the Jacob Blake riots in Kenosha in August of 2020.
His persistence at attempting to introduce evidence the court has already ruled out has caused Kenosha Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder to explode multiple times on Wednesday and Thursday.
Schroeder has warned the state several times that they have violated Rittenhouse’s Constitutional rights with things prosecutors have said in front of the jury.
The judge has warned Binger multiple times that he has skated close to causing a mistrial.
"Both elements for mistrial with prejudice have been met."
The Defense Attorneys for Kyle Rittenhouse call for a mistrial in their client's homicide case due to the statements of lead prosecutor Thomas Binger. pic.twitter.com/PYHj5JEbrG
— Newsmax (@newsmax) November 10, 2021
Observers from both sides of the aisle have espoused scads of criticism about Binger’s prosecution of Rittenhouse, but when one group sparked outrage when they suggested that people protest in front of the assistant district attorney’s home.
Someone posted a message to the group “Kenosha Strong Patriots” on the messaging platform Telegram that featured a picture of Binger and his home address, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
But other members explained that the release of the information wasn’t malicious.
“This is absolutely not an encouragement to violence,” another member of the group wrote in the thread. “Just would be nice to see a peaceful protest outside his home like the left does every time they don’t like something.”
Binger said Friday that he was aware of the posts and had taken steps to protect himself and his family, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office said ahead of the trial that it would be monitoring social media for threats against key players in the Rittenhouse case.
Kenosha County Sheriff’s Sergeant David Wright said Friday that he wasn’t aware of law enforcement having made any changes to planned safety and security measure.
However, Sgt. Wright said authorities would “act accordingly” if any credible threats against Binger emerged, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Legal experts said the trial started going downhill for the state while the prosecution was still putting its own witnesses on the stand, The Washington Post reported.
This is case closed for Kyle Rittenhouse. He's winning his self defense case.
Prosecutors' reactions during testimony, realizing they just lost the entire case.
Thanks @RekietaMedia for the awesome coverage pic.twitter.com/2CGJVxDUvW
— greg volnost (@pvtgreg) November 8, 2021
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske said Binger probably knew the judge would be furious if he brought up certain evidence that had already been ruled inadmissible.
Geske said the prosecutor is pushing the limit because he doesn’t think that his argument proved his case to the jury, The Washington Post reported.
“I think he sees that he could lose it. It’s a case where the jury could come back not guilty,” the retired judge said.
“I think he’s cutting corners as close as he can to get his evidence in front of the jury. Unfortunately, he’s really angered the trial judge,” she added.
Thomas Binger is this season's Michael Avenatti.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) November 11, 2021
Critics have said prosecutors had bombed the trial even before the defense’s case began.
Former Milwaukee prosecutor Dan Adams told The Washington Post that some of the prosecution’s witnesses had actually helped Rittenhouse’s self-defense claim.
On Nov. 10, one of the men whom Rittenhouse shot testified that he had pointed his gun at the teenager before the boy shot him, CNN reported.
“When you were standing three to five feet from him with your arms up in the air, he never fired, right?” defense attorney Corey Chirafisi asked Gaige Grosskreutz, whom Rittenhouse shot in the right bicep.
“Correct,” Grosskreutz said.
“It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun — now your hand is down pointed at him — that he fired, right?” Chirafisi asked.
“Correct,” Grosskreutz responded.
Grosskreutz testified that he was carrying a pistol concealed that night even though his conceal carried permit was expired, CNN reported.
He also admitted that he lied to investigators when he claimed his gun had fallen out of his pants earlier in the evening.
“That was the most explosive testimony in the whole trial,” Adams told The Washington Post. “Binger introduced… witnesses that could have easily been introduced in the defense’s case. It was unclear what the strategic value of those witnesses were.”
And the girlfriend of Joseph Rosenbaum, who was killed by Rittenhouse, testified that her boyfriend was homeless and had just been released after a psychiatric hold in the hospital.
She testified that he had not been able to get his medication for multiple mental conditions after he was released because area pharmacies were locked down due to the rioting.
Legal experts said that Binger overcharged the case, The Washington Post reported.
“They overcharged the case for sure,” Paul Bucher, and former district attorney in Wisconsin. “Why would you charge a curfew violation? This is a homicide case.”
U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) posted a video to social media that blamed the prosecutor for failing to do his due diligence before he charged Rittenhouse with murder.
The prosecutor in the Rittenhouse trial clearly didn’t do due diligence before making the decision to prosecute. This tragedy never would have happened if the government carried out its responsibilities to protect the safety, lives and property of innocent people. pic.twitter.com/BFEOyRbvcj
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) November 11, 2021
“This tragedy never would have happened if the government had simply carried out its responsibilities to protect the safety, lives, and property of innocent people,” Gabbard said.
Holly Matkin
