Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) responded to a rant from left-wing late night host Stephen Colbert — who suggested that the U.S. should change gun laws in the aftermath of Kyle Rittenhouse’s not guilty verdict — warning that “rich Democrats believe you have no right to defend yourself.”
During Monday’s monologue, Colbert briefly addressed the murder trial of 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who was found not guilty of all charges lodged against him.
“The big news on Friday was that after being accused of crossing state lines, killing two people and wounding another last year during a Black Lives Matter protest, Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all counts,” Colbert began.
“Ok. Cards on the table, I am not a legal expert so I can’t tell you whether or not Kyle Rittenhouse broke the law. But I can tell you this, if he didn’t break the law we should change the law,” he continued, triggering a round of applause. “That seems simple. That seems simple.”
Watch below:
“Rich Democrats believe you have no right to defend yourself from an angry mob,” Cruz said in response to Colbert’s assessment, reposting the video on Instagram.
“He was being violently attacked by three dangerous felons; a jury of his peers found that Kyle Rittenhouse acted in self-defense,” the Texas senator added. “What Colbert is arguing is to outlaw the ability to defend oneself.”
On Friday, the jury found Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges, which included two charges of murder, one charge of attempted murder, and two charges of reckless endangerment.
“This case has nothing to do with race. It never had anything to do with race. It had to do with the right to self-defense,” Rittenhouse told Tucker Carlson during an interview that aired on Monday.
“I thought they came to the correct verdict because it wasn’t Kyle Rittenhouse on trial in Wisconsin — it was the right to self-defense on trial,” he explained. “And if I was convicted… no one would ever be privileged to defend their life against attackers.”