Kyle Rittenhouse has a connection with a conservative coffee company called Black Rifle Coffee. On Nov. 20, Rittenhouse was released on $2 million bail. Shortly after, far right journalist and podcast host Elijah Schaffer tweeted a picture of Rittenhouse wearing a shirt advertising the coffee company. Rittenhouse’s lawyer, Lin Wood, also posted the same picture. Schaffer has since deleted his tweet; Wood’s tweet is still up. Now, Twitter is wondering if Rittenhouse’s support of Black Rifle Coffee is an actual paid sponsorship or brand deal.
Black Rifle Coffee has provided an official statement on the matter, clarifying their connection to Rittenhouse.
In a tweet, the company said, “We do not sponsor nor do we have a relationship with the 17-year-old facing charges in Kenosha, WI.”
Rittenhouse faces five criminal charges for killing two men and wounding another during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this summer. Charges include first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.
Here’s what you need to know:
Rittenhouse Is Not Sponsored by Black Rifle Coffee; They Do Not Have a Partnership
Rittenhouse was released this week after he posted a crowdsourced $2 million bail. Shortly after, a picture of him wearing a Black Rifle Coffee t-shirt started to circulate on the internet— but that doesn’t mean he has a brand partnership with the company.
In addition to the statement posted by Black Rifle Coffee and shared above, others have confirmed the coffee company has no direct connection to Rittenhouse.
Linz DeFranco, co-founder of HeyNotSoFast, tweeted, “Black Rifle Coffee did not ‘sponsor’ Kyle Rittenhouse. One of our good friends is part of the company. Anyone jumping on that bandwagon is misinformed.”
She added in a subsequent tweet, “In addition to Black Rifle making a statement on twitter, Phil personally spoke to our friend, who is a higher-up at the company, and he confirmed that they did not do this. I’m seriously appalled at how quickly that false info spread, especially by some people I respect.”
Rittenhouse Crossed State Lines With an AR-15 & Killed Two Protestors in Kenosha; His Lawyer Called Him a ‘Hero’ on Friday
Just off phone with Kyle. With tears in my eyes, I listened as he expressed thanks to The People for your prayers, donations & support.
He prayed every day & night & said God lifted him up every time he fell.
Kyle is a hero.
So are his supporters.
Keep him in your prayers. 🙏
Rittenhouse, 17, recently explained how he was able to purchase the AR-15 that he used to kill two men during the protests in Kenosha that erupted this summer after Jacob Blake, a black man, was shot multiple times by officers in front of his children earlier this summer. Blake is now paralyzed.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Rittenhouse said he bought the AR-15 illegally by using his COVID-19 stimulus check and having an older friend buy the gun for him. “I feel I had to protect myself,” he told the Post in a phone interview. “I would have died that night if I didn’t.”
Rittenhouse’s lawyer shares the sentiment. After Rittenhouse was released on bail, Wood tweeted, “Just off phone with Kyle. With tears in my eyes, I listened as he expressed thanks to The People for your prayers, donations & support. He prayed every day & night & said God lifted him up every time he fell. Kyle is a hero. So are his supporters. Keep him in your prayers. 🙏”