Rittenhouse judge slams media for 'grossly irresponsible' coverage of trial

The judge in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse slammed the media on Wednesday for their irresponsible reporting on the proceedings, called it "really quite frightening."

The trial is in its second day of jury deliberations over the murder charges levied against Rittenhouse, who claims he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed two rioters and injured a third man, who survived.

Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder addressed some of the controversies about his decisions in the media and excoriated the press for what he saw as irresponsible criticism.

"These are five very reputable, competent attorneys that I've practiced with for years, and I think it's shameful some of the things that are being done to these people," he said.

"When I talked about problems with the media when this trial started, we're there in part, not fully, but in part because of grossly irresponsible handling of what comes out of this trial," Schroeder added.

"I will tell you this, I'm gonna think long and hard about live television at trial again, next time. I've always been a firm believer in it because I believe the people should be able to see what's going on. But when I see what's being done, it's really quite frightening," he said.

"Frightening, that's the word for it," Schroeder concluded.

The judge specifically defended his decision to have Rittenhouse choose the jurors by pulling numbers from a raffle drum at random. He also explained why he ordered that the men shot by Rittenhouse not be referred to as "victims" during the trial to prevent bias in the jurors.

The judge did not refer to other controversies that angered many on the left, including one where he joked about his Asian food being delayed by supply chain issues, and another where his phone rang during the trial and revealed a patriotic ringtone.

Here's a video of the judge's comments:

Rittenhouse Judge Defends Rulings, Decisions That Sparked Media Coverage During Trialwww.youtube.com