I watched the 3 hour cross-examination of Rittenhouse, and by the end of it, I can 100% see why the jury decided to acquit him. This isn't a new take - everybo

I watched the 3 hour cross-examination of Rittenhouse, and by the end of it, I can 100% see why the jury decided to acquit him. This isn't a new take - everybody who watched the cross-examination is saying the same thing - but they botched their job. The defense strategy seemed to hinge on the prosecution letting themselves dig a hole, and letting Rittenhouse explain his reasoning (which was consistent, simple, and supported by the video evidence and witness testimony shown). Things the prosecution did which really bungled it: - Coming inches away from violating Rittenhouse's fifth amendment rights by questioning why he stayed silent before the trial. The judge reprimanded the prosecution for this. - Pressing Rittenhouse on why he thought he could be at a protest, and implying he did not have a right or reason to be there (Rittenhouse has a right to peacefully protest) - Probing into how much he played Call of Duty (he did not play much) and about his tiktok username, which turned out to be irrelevant to the case, and was just a _weird_ direction to explore - Probing Rittenhouse's experience as a volunteer EMT-in-training, firefighter cadet, and life-guard service (he came out of this looking like a person who is motivated to genuinely help people) - Making it clear to the jury that Rittenhouse never used his firearm to dissuade peaceful protestors - Making it clear to the jury that Rittenhouse never used his firearm to protect property, and that he only used it when his life was in danger It's a whole three hours, but it's worth the watch.