QAnon now has Kyle Rittenhouse pegged as a Deep State agent

It’s been almost a month since Kyle Rittenhouse, who transported a firearm across state lines as a minor shortly before killing two people and gravely wounding another during protests against police brutality in Wisconsin, was acquitted of all charges. The jury’s verdict was an end to the first chapter in yet another sad, predictable story of white privilege, American gun worship, and racial injustice.

One could be forgiven for assuming he is currently basking in the limelight shone on him from within the virulently anti-BLM, pro-firepower QAnon crowd — but it turns out that couldn’t be further from the case, for some very petty reasons. And “petty reasons” are sometimes all it takes to get roped into the larger paranoia web of Deep State actors and Trump foes for Q believers.

Knocking on Wood — Rittenhouse’s first betrayal of QAnon (a movement that, to be fair, he has never publicly espoused) came during his first major post-acquittal interview on The Tucker Carlson show on November 23. In it, he in no uncertain terms slammed his initial legal team which featured QAnon hero and Trump ally, Lin Wood, for using Rittenhouse’s bail fundraising as a front for a larger grift.

After roiling QAnon’s feathers, he doubled down the following evening during a separate interview with NewsNation in which he also cited Wood’s general nonsense as a major reason for terminating their relationship. "We fired him because he was, like, going on with all this QAnon and election fraud stuff and just stuff we don't agree with,” Rittenhouse said during the segment.

Rittenhouse later bluntly added, “He's insane… how he thinks he's God and he just says all these weird things. Like 'we're going to keep that boy in jail because there's not gonna be any… civil or criminal cases come the election,' which is just complete insanity.” Naturally, conspiracy theorists buying into Lin Wood’s ramblings considered these statements as an ultimate betrayal of their cause.

Making ‘sense’ of it all — This morning, Rittenhouse announced that he would be among the guest speaker lineup for this year’s America Fest, a meetup organized by Charlie Kirk’s Turning Points USA group that features the who’s who of conservative reactionaries and their fans. It takes place this weekend in Phoenix, AZ. QAnon true believers on Telegram were less than amused. In fact, the news only further confirmed their beliefs that Rittenhouse has been a Deep State agent this whole time.

“I KNEW this was coming,” prominent conspiracy theorist John “QAnon John” Sabal posted to his Telegram page. “It all stinks, the whole damn thing was a plan,” one follower responded, reminding others that the Kenosha tragedy and subsequent trial was a “CIA operation.” “Kyle is not an innocent kid! People have to wake up and we must save our country,” they added.

“Nothing smells right about Rittenhouse,” another suggested. “They’re playing him like a Damn [sic] fiddle!!” another wrote, although it’s not exactly clear who “they” are. Take your pick.

Part of a larger QAnon civil war — It’s unsurprising to see Rittenhouse jammed into QAnon’s already crowded web of adversaries thanks to his recent comments. Rittenhouse isn’t the only person to find themselves in Q’s bad graces lately, either. It’s all part of a larger civil war brewing within the movement as factions splinter along conspiracy minutiae regarding Lin Wood and his new nemesis, disgraced Gen. Michael Flynn. Last week, Wood posted a new message to Telegram which included a list of new QAnon adversaries including Tucker Carlson, Charlie Kirk, Sheriff David Clarke, and even Marjorie Taylor Greene. Oh, and lest we forget, Dan Bongino.

A storm is indeed coming, as Q supporters have long vowed. It’s just coming from within their own ranks, and not even Kyle Rittenhouse wishes to be a part of it.