During the Rittenhouse trial, the cross-examination of journalist Nathan DeBruin done by Assistant District Attorney James Kraus got personal after a break.
In the exchange, Kraus asked DeBruin whether or not he researched the media person who showed up outside the photojournalist’s attorney’s office. He said no. Kraus went on to explain how the attorney and this “blogger” knew each other. The assistant DA asserted that the blogger in question has a bias in favor of Rittenhouse, and asked if this witness DeBruin knew anything about that. At one point, even the presiding Judge agreed that what Kraus was asking was irrelevant.
In the next bit of questioning, Kraus remarked about how DeBruin said he felt uncomfortable when talking with prosecutors. Then in the middle of the trial that’s supposed to be about Kyle Rittenhouse’s self-defense claim, Kraus pointed out how DeBruin seemed to have more to say to the defense lawyers than his people.
The photojournalist clarified that when speaking with Attorney Richards, it wasn’t introduced as “adding to [Debruin’s] statement. All he said was he was taking notes. Lawyer Ron Coleman described it as unusual courtroom conduct.
In over 30 years of law practice, I have never seen anything
anything
like this “cross-examination”#Rittenhouse
— Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) November 9, 2021
Background context by the Kenosha County Eye indicates that DeBruin found himself “ten feet away” when Huber and Grosskreutz were shot by Rittenhouse. From the outset, it’s said that DeBruin didn’t pick a side; he simply went down to Kenosha to document the events taking place.
In the months after the Rittenhouse incident in August 2020, DeBruin is said to have cooperated with the Kenosha Police in turning over photos he took in relation to arsons and rioutous activities at the time.
But last month when meeting with prosecutors Clair Binger and Jim Kraus, it’s described that Kraus pressured DeBruin to add to his statement. He refused:
“DeBruins said Binger’s attitude quickly changed to that of an adversarial role when DeBruin refused to change or add to his statement, that he signed over a year prior. ‘Whose side are you on?’ Binger sternly asked. Binger then asked DeBruin to identify people in the many photos he took. He didn’t know who they were at the time, but now knew some of them. Binger asked him to change and add to his statement the identities of some of the people, but he didn’t know who they were at the time, so he refused. He didn’t want to lie. ‘We have no use for you!’ Binger said. ‘We won’t put you on the stand, so Richards (Kyle’s Lawyer) will be, and he’ll be harder on you than we would!’ With this, the meeting ended.”
The background local politics of Kenosha, Wisconsin, were previously spotlighted when it was discovered Mayor John Antaramian is family members with one of the detectives of the Rittenhouse trial.
It brings an end to an otherwise quieter day of the high-profile Rittenhouse trial. A forensics pathologist earlier in the day testified that Rosenbaum’s hand was likely in contact with Rittenhouse’s rifle when it went off.
