Marjorie Taylor Greene Introduces Bill To Award Congressional Gold Medal To Rittenhouse

On Tuesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) submitted a bill that would give Kyle Rittenhouse the Congressional Gold Medal for “protecting the community of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) riot on August 25, 2020.”

The Congressional Gold Medal is the greatest award that Congress may bestow on an individual or organization.  The legislation has no co-sponsors and is unlikely to pass in the Democratic-controlled House and Senate.

Rittenhouse fatally shot two protestors out of self-defense during the Kenosha riots and wounded a third. Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all counts, including intentional homicide, by a jury last week.

“Kyle Rittenhouse deserves to be remembered as a hero who defended his community, protected businesses, and acted lawfully in the face of lawlessness. I’m proud to file this legislation to award Kyle Rittenhouse a Congressional Gold Medal,” Greene said in a statement to The Hill.

Conservatives applauded the jury’s decision to acquit Rittenhouse on all counts. His trial, unfortunately, divided the country along party lines, with Republicans especially adopting the notion that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense and with the intent of protecting local businesses.

“We are concerned that awarding Kyle with a Congressional Gold Medal will give him a big head during his internship with our office,” a representative for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who has offered Rittenhouse an internship with his office, told The Washington Post in reaction to Greene’s legislation.

Following the verdict, Rittenhouse was also offered an internship by Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-North Carolina). In addition, former President Trump stated on Tuesday that Rittenhouse paid him a visit at his Florida property soon after he was acquitted of all charges.

A more mixed response has been received from Democrats. Many have expressed surprise that Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, could be judged not guilty despite wandering Kenosha with a weapon for many hours. Civil rights activists have expressed concern that the ruling will incite such vigilante activities in the future.

Recently,  United States Capitol Police officers and other law enforcement personnel who were at the United States Capitol during the January 6 protest, as well as U.S. troops who died in a bombing at Kabul’s airport during the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, were awarded Congressional Gold Medals.