Kyle Rittenhouse said to have crossed state lines with his rifle

26 AUG 2020 · CBS News (Face the Nation), MSNBC

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■ The claim

Coverage of the August 2020 Kenosha shootings repeatedly said Rittenhouse had brought or carried his rifle from Illinois into Wisconsin, a detail used to suggest he arrived armed for a fight.

■ What actually happened

Trial testimony showed the rifle was bought in Wisconsin by his friend Dominick Black and kept in Kenosha; Rittenhouse picked it up after arriving there. He was acquitted on all charges on Nov. 19, 2021, after the jury heard his self-defense case. Two days later a CBS Face the Nation report still said he came from Illinois armed for battle; CBS added an editor's note to the transcript acknowledging he testified he did not drive to Kenosha with a weapon, and apologized.

■ The proof

Trial testimony that the rifle was purchased and stored in Wisconsin (summarized by PolitiFact), the Nov. 19, 2021 acquittal, and CBS's editor's note on its Nov. 21, 2021 transcript.

■ Original reporting

CBS News: Face the Nation transcript, Nov. 21, 2021 (with editor's note)https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-transcript-of-face-the-nation-on-november-21-2021

■ Corrections, findings & records

PolitiFact: Claim Rittenhouse crossed state line with gun is wronghttps://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/nov/26/jerrold-nadler/nadler-wrong-claim-rittenhouse-crossed-state-line/
FactCheck.org: Rittenhouse testified he drove to Kenosha without weaponhttps://www.factcheck.org/2021/11/rittenhouse-testified-he-drove-himself-to-kenosha-without-weapon
NPR: Rittenhouse acquitted of all charges (Nov. 19, 2021)https://www.npr.org/2021/11/19/1057288807/kyle-rittenhouse-acquitted-all-charges-verdict
Fox News: CBS corrects claim Rittenhouse crossed state lines armedhttps://www.foxnews.com/media/cbs-corrects-claim-rittenhouse-state-lines-armed

■ Wayback Machine copies

Stories sometimes get edited after publication. These links open the Internet Archive's earliest snapshot of each original.

Archive copy: CBS News: Face the Nation transcript, Nov. 21, 2021 (with editor's note)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-transcript-of-face-the-nation-on-november-21-2021

Who it helped: DemocratsUsed by Democrats to cast him as an armed outsider; Biden's campaign ad tied him to militias.

■ Grade

DEBUNKED: Shown false by evidence or official findings, whether or not the outlet corrected it. How we grade →