Saturday, July 5, 2025
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Saturday, July 5, 2025

Milwaukee Press Club 'Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism' 2020 & 2021 Award Winners

Gaige Grosskreutz Admits Pointing Gun at Kyle Rittenhouse, Advancing Toward Him

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During dramatic testimony in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, Gaige Grosskreutz, the only man who survived being shot by Rittenhouse, testified that he was pointing his gun at Rittenhouse and advancing on him when Rittenhouse shot him.

Grosskreutz also admitted that he was carrying a gun, at times stuck into the back of his waist, that night even though his concealed carry permit was expired. It’s illegal to carry a gun concealed in Wisconsin without a permit, but Grosskreutz was never charged with that offense. He said he frequently carried guns at protests because he believes in the Second Amendment.

Grosskreutz also testified that, a few seconds earlier, he had feared for Kyle Rittenhouse’s safety because Rittenhouse was being attacked by other people, including Anthony Huber, who was hitting him with a skateboard – helping Rittenhouse’s self-defense argument in the Huber death.

But it was his description of the moments leading up to his own shooting that were the most damning for the state.

“It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him… that he fired, right?” defense attorney Corey Chirafisi asked Grosskreutz.

“Correct,” said Grosskreutz. He tried to claim at another point that he wasn’t intentionally pointing the gun.

The defense showed Grosskreutz a photo of that moment he was shot. It shows him holding a gun. He got within three feet of Rittenhouse. Here’s the full exchange.

Gaige grosskreutz testifies

Defense attorney: “You would agree your firearm is pointed at Mr. Rittenhouse correct?”

Grosskreutz: “Yes.”

Defense: “Once your firearm is pointed at Mr. Rittenhouse, that’s when he fires his gun, yes?

Grosskreutz: “No.”

Defense: “Sir, look…Does this look like right now your arm is being shot?”

Grosskreutz: “That looks like my bicep being vaporized yes.”

Defense: “It’s being vaporized because you’re pointing a gun directly at him, yes?”

Grosskreutz: “Yes.”

Defense: “When you’re standing 3-5 feet from him with your arms up in the air he never fired. Right?”

Grosskreutz: “Correct.”

Defense: “It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun, now your hands down, pointed at him, that he fired, right?”

Grosskreutz: “Correct.”

In a line of questioning that would seem to bolster Rittenhouse’s self-defense claims in Grosskreutz’s shooting as well as in the Anthony Huber shooting (the second of three). The defense attorney asked Grosskreutz, “You believe he’s (Rittenhouse) in physical danger because he’s being attacked?” Grosskreutz said yes. He also agreed that he was concerned for Kyle Rittenhouse’s safety before he, himself, entered the fray.

He admits that he approached Rittenhouse while holding a gun out, and was “closing” in toward him, at the time Rittenhouse shot him. You can see the gun in Grosskreutz’s hand. The defense also tried to establish that Grosskreutz has a monetary motive to want Rittenhouse convicted, as he has a civil suit in which he’s seeking millions of dollars and his attorney was in court. In addition, he refused to give a statement to authorities in September 2020 on the advice of that attorney, left out that he had a gun in court records, didn’t tell police he had the gun during the shooting in his first statement, and wouldn’t give police permission to search his cell phone (they had a search warrant but chose not to use it).

Shortly before he shot Grosskreutz, Rittenhouse was being hit with a skateboard and rushed by Anthony Huber, whom he shot and killed, Grosskreutz confirmed; Grosskreutz said that Huber was trying to “wrestle” Rittenhouse’s gun from him. “I tried to tell him to stop hitting him with a skateboard,” Grosskreutz said of Huber.

“You are by your own admission pointing a pistol from less than three feet away at his head?” the defense attorney asked.

He said no initially but when pressed responded, “In the direction, yes, But directly no.”

He also, though, said that he felt he was in imminent danger of being killed by Rittenhouse, whom he believed was an “active shooter.”

The defense asked Grosskreutz whether he told his former roommate that the “only regret was not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun before entering the entire mag into him,” meaning Rittenhouse. He said he did not say that.

Gaige grosskreutz testifies

The defense repeatedly asked Grosskreutz whether, in his initial police interview, he “omitted that you ran up on him (Rittenhouse) and had a Glock pistol in hand.” Grosskreutz responded, “Correct.” The defense team also queried Grosskreutz on whether he “lied” to police by telling them that his gun fell off his waist before the shooting, when he had it in his hand at the time of the shooting. He denied lying and said he was on paid meds and in pain and traumatized at the time from his arm injury, which blew 90 percent of his bicep off. But the defense attorney pointed out he was lucidly describing other details at that time, including giving a description of Rittenhouse’s clothing to police.

Grosskreutz admitted that he ran down the street when he saw Rittenhouse running after the Rosenbaum shooting, which he didn’t see. He denied “chasing” Rittenhouse but admitted “closing distance between the defendant and I” when he was shot. He also admitted he had the gun in his hand at that point and was close to Rittenhouse.

Here’s a picture of Grosskreutz reaching for his gun earlier in the night, establishing where he was keeping it despite not having a valid concealed carry permit:

Gaige grosskreutz testifies

Grosskreutz, who said he went to Kenosha as a medic (he was a trained paramedic), claimed he thought Rittenhouse was an “active shooter,” but, under Wisconsin law, what matters is what Rittenhouse believed at the time, not Grosskreutz. Rittenhouse must show he reasonably believed his life or that of another was in danger or they were in danger of great bodily harm.

“I was never trying to kill the defendant. I was trying to preserve my own life,” he insisted. Asked why he didn’t shoot Rittenhouse first, Grosskreutz said that was “not the kind of person I am.” (He does have a prior criminal history, a misdemeanor, for intoxicated use of a firearm and was previously accused of prowling at the West Allis police station. The protest group he’s affiliated with, the People’s Revolution, instigated a violent attack against two police officers at their own home in Wauwatosa, although Grosskreutz wasn’t present for that.)

Grosskreutz also described encountering Rittenhouse as he ran down the street following the Rosenbaum shooting. He said that Rittenhouse said, “I’m going to the police. I didn’t do anything,” not what he originally thought he said, “I’m working with the police. I didn’t do anything.” That conversation occurred after Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum (who was chasing him and lunging for his gun, per earlier witness testimony.) Grosskreutz was jogging alongside Rittenhouse at that point.

His former roommate posted a picture with Grosskreutz in the hospital on social media. Grosskreutz denied making comment to his former roommate that his only regret was that he didn’t empty his magazine in Rittenhouse as his roommate posted on social media that he did.

Grosskreutz admitted being affiliated with the People’s Revolution group but said he wasn’t a member of it. He has participated in George Floyd protests and was an ACLU legal observer that day.

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(The Center Square) – Josh Schoemann, the only Republican currently in the race for governor next year, is criticizing Gov. Tony Evers’ approach to the next state budget by comparing it to his plans in Washington County.

“In Washington County our budget cycle starts right now, and it’s not due until November. We will propose our budget goals to the County Board in the next couple of months. We will share ‘This is what we’re thinking.’ It gives them months of time to think those through, give us feedback, and [have] that kind of dialogue,” Schoemann explained in an interview on News Talk 1130 WISN.

Schoemann said that is far better than the approach Evers is taking again this year.

“That’s not how government is supposed to work,” Schoemann said. “It’s not the vision of the governor. It’s not the vision of any one person.”

Evers and the Republican legislative leaders who will write the budget have been involved in on-again, off-again budget talks this month. On Thursday, the governor’s office said those talks were off once again because of gridlock in the Senate.

“Ultimately, the Senate needs to decide whether they were elected to govern and get things done or not,” Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback said in a post on X.

Schoemann’s criticism of Evers is nothing new. He has long been a critic of the governor and has turned that criticism up since launching his campaign for governor.

But the recent criticism was also aimed at other Republicans who may jump into the 20206 governor’s race later this year.

“Nobody else in this race on the Republican side, being rumored to this point, has the executive leadership of skills and history to be able to show ‘This is how I’ve done it before, and here’s how we’ll do it Madison,’” Schoemann said. “The results in Washington County speak for themselves.”

Northwoods Congressman Tom Tiffany is also rumored to be looking to get into the Republican race. Before he went to Congress, Tiffany was a Republican lawmaker in Madison.

Businessman and veteran Bill Berrien is also on the short list of likely GOP candidates for 2026.

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(The Center Square) – Wisconsin budget negotiations have reached an impasse with both sides pointing fingers at the other in Wednesday afternoon statements.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Republican Legislative leaders backed out of negotiations after he agreed to “an income tax cut targeting Wisconsin’s middle-class and working families and eliminating income taxes for certain retirees.” He said Republican leaders would not agree to “meaningful increased investments in child care, K-12 schools, and the University of Wisconsin System.”

Republican Assembly leaders said the two sides were "far apart. Senate leaders say Evers’ desires “extend beyond what taxpayers can afford.”

“The Joint Committee on Finance will continue using our long-established practices of crafting a state budget that contains meaningful tax relief and responsible spending levels with the goal of finishing on time,” said a statement from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Assembly Finance Co-Chairman Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam.

Evers said that there were meetings between the sides every day this week before the impasse.

“I told Republicans I’d support their half of the deal and their top tax priorities – even though they’re very similar to bills I previously vetoed – because I believe that’s how compromise is supposed to work, and I was ready to make that concession in order to get important things done for Wisconsin’s kids,” Evers said.

Senate Republican leadership said that good faith negotiations have occurred since April on a budget compromise.

“Both sides of these negotiations worked to find compromise and do what is best for the state of Wisconsin,” said a statement from Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, and Senate Joint Finance Co-Chairman Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green.

In early May, the Joint Committee on Finance took 612 items out of Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal, including Medicaid expansion in the state, department creations and tax exemptions.

Born previously estimated that Evers’ budget proposal would lead to $3 billion in tax increases over the two-year span.

Wisconsin Policy Forum estimated that the proposal would spend down more than $4 billion of the state’s expected $4.3 billion surplus if it is enacted.

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DOJ Begins California Title IX Investigation Over ‘Trans’ Boys Dominating Girls’ Sports

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced it is investigating California for violating Title IX by allowing males to participate in female student sports.

“Title IX exists to protect women and girls in education,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for Civil Rights. “It is perverse to allow males to compete against girls, invade their private spaces, and take their trophies.”

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning males from participating in female student sports, and he has threatened to block California's federal funding for continuing to defy his order. With California facing deficits in the tens of billions of dollars each year, it's unclear how the state would offset any losses or pauses in federal funding.

Notably, California Gov. Gavin Newsom hosted conservative pundit Charlie Kirk on his podcast and told Kirk that he thinks it’s “deeply unfair” that boys are participating in girls’ sports.

When asked later at a press conference what this means for state policy, Newsom demurred, painting the matter as a marginal, non-issue not worth his time.

“You're talking about a very small number of people, a very small number of athletes, and my responsibility is to address the pressing issues of our time,” said Newsom.

The California Interscholastic Federation, which governs student sports in California, has since responded to Trump’s threat by announcing a new pilot program to allow girls who otherwise would have qualified for sports finals had the finalist spots in girls’ sports not been taken by transgender-identifying boys to participate in said finals.

Title IX was signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1972 to ensure that schools could not discriminate against female students. It requires they be provided with equal opportunities to engage in athletics, extracurriculars and education.

DOJ’s letter of interest says it is investigating whether California’s Assembly Bill 1266, which requires transgender-identifying students to be allowed to participate in sports consistent with their gender identities, violates Title IX.

“As a result of CIF’s policy, California’s top-ranked girls’ triple jumper, and second-ranked girls’ long-jumper, is a boy,” wrote the DOJ. “As recently as May 17, this male athlete was allowed to take winning titles that rightfully belong to female athletes in both events.”

“This male athlete will now be allowed to compete against those female athletes again for a state title in long, triple, and high jump,” continued the DOJ. “Other high school female athletes have alleged that they were likewise robbed of podium positions and spots on their teams after they were forced to compete against males.”

Should the DOJ find California is in violation of Title IX, it says it will “take appropriate action to eliminate that discrimination, including seeking injunctive relief.”