WASHINGTON — In a new report out of Washington, federal law enforcement officials were directed to make their comments about Kyle Rittenhouse to the public sympathetic.
Rittenhouse is the teenager who is being charged with fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha in August.
NBC News obtained internal Department of Homeland Security talking points which show that officials were told if they were asked about Rittenhouse, that they should say they are not going to comment on an ongoing investigation.
According to the document, they were also asked to respond by saying "what I will say is that Rittenhouse, just like everyone else in America, is innocent until proven guilty and deserves a fair trial based on all the facts, not just the ones that support a certain narrative. This is why we try the accused in the court of law, not the star chamber of public opinion," according to NBC News.
Officials were also instructed to bring any conversations about Rittenhouse back to the topic of needing to preserve law and order.
There were four former Homeland Security officials, two having worked with Republican administrations, who said this instruction about commenting on a case involving a particular group or individual before investigations have concluded is rather unusual.
"It is as unprecedented as it is wrong," said Peter Boogaard, who was a spokesperson for Homeland Security during the Obama administration.
When asked to comment on these documents, a spokesperson from Homeland Security said they do not comment on alleged leaked documents.
