Nicholas Sandmann, Who Sued Media Outlets For Defamation, Encourages Kyle Rittenhouse to Do the Same

Nicholas Sandmann, who was 16 years old when the media erroneously reported that he and his fellow students harassed a Native American demonstrator in 2019, has called on Kyle Rittenhouse to do what Sandmann himself did: Sue the media for defamation.

Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he shot three men, killing two, during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. Rittenhouse is facing multiple charges related to the shootings. Rittenhouse’s attorneys have argued that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense, while the prosecution has claimed otherwise. As of Tuesday morning, the jury has been deliberating the charges.

In an opinion piece in The Daily Mail, Sandmann wrote, “The parallels between me and Kyle Rittenhouse are impossible not to draw.”

“Kyle was almost immediately labelled a ‘white supremacist’ and a ‘domestic terrorist,’” said Sandmann. “To many, my red MAGA hat clearly meant that I was a racist. In only hours a CNN host tweeted an image of me, writing: ‘Honest question. Have you ever seen a more punchable face than this kid’s?.’”

That host was Reza Aslan, who was already ousted at CNN by the time the controversy surrounding Sandmann happened.

Sandmann continued:

Kyle wasn’t given his day in court by his critics.

And neither was I.

The attacks on Kyle came from the national news media, just as they came for me.

They came quickly, without hesitation, because Kyle was an easy target that they could paint in the way they wanted to.

This is the problem with liberal media outlets in the United States. They want to get the story first, get the most views, make the most money, and advance the agenda from liberal patrons.

These outlets cover themselves when they are wrong with small footnotes at the ends of long articles, clarifying that new information has come out and that they have updated their coverage.

News shouldn’t be a scoreboard that constantly changes.

News is about coverage that includes a statement of facts that does not need to be corrected.

But, the liberal media doesn’t do this.

The liberal media rushes to be the first to report.

So every single label on Kyle as a ‘terrorist,’ ‘white supremacist,’ and ‘school shooter’ in the streets of Kenosha, will only ever be withdrawn after the damage has been done.

Sandmann ultimately settled with The Washington Post and CNN for undisclosed amounts. In his piece, Sandmann mentioned that he is “personally am still involved in six media lawsuits as January approaches marking three years since the confrontation took place at the March for Life.”

Sandmann acknowledged, “It is important to note that defamation cases are some of the hardest cases to win.”

“The plaintiff must first prove that what was published about them was false,” he continued. “This is usually defeated by the protection of the First Amendment as defendants claim that they were expressing their opinion.”

Sandmann wrote that Rittenhouse should sue “[depending] on what happens in the trial, as those elements would come into play were he found guilty. However, if Kyle is innocent it would create an easier road to winning.”

Sandmann recognized that “the chances are still low and nothing is guaranteed in a defamation trial. Kyle should also be prepared for a long trial which will be present in his mind for years.”