On Friday, a jury in Wisconsin found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all five counts against him.
Rittenhouse, 18, was charged with homicide, attempted homicide and reckless endangering for killing two men and wounding a third with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle in August 2020 during a night of protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man.
The 12-person jury deliberated over the course of four days, including lunch breaks, and reached a verdict in the early afternoon Friday.
Lawmakers across the country reacted to the news, including the President of the United States. Democrats reacted with shock and dismay, while Republicans largely praised the ruling.
In a statement Friday, President Joe Biden said that, "while the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken."
"I know that we’re not going to heal our country’s wounds overnight, but I remain steadfast in my commitment to do everything in my power to ensure that every American is treated equally, with fairness and dignity, under the law," he added.
"I urge everyone to express their views peacefully, consistent with the rule of law," Biden concluded. "Violence and destruction of property have no place in our democracy. The White House and Federal authorities have been in contact with Governor Evers's office to prepare for any outcome in this case, and I have spoken with the Governor this afternoon and offered support and any assistance needed to ensure public safety."
Earlier, Biden told reporters at the White House, "I stand by what the jury has concluded."
“The jury system works," he added. "We have to abide by it."
Vice President Kamala Harris also weighed in on Rittenhouse’s acquittal for the first time Friday evening, telling reporters as she prepared to depart an event in Columbus, Ohio that "the verdict really speaks for itself.”
“As many of you know, I’ve spent a majority of my career working to make the criminal justice system more equitable," she added, "and clearly, there’s a lot more work to do."
In a statement, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, wrote: "No verdict will be able to bring back the lives of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, or heal Gaige Grosskreutz's injuries, just as no verdict can heal the wounds or trauma experienced by Jacob Blake and his family.”
“No ruling today changes our reality in Wisconsin that we have work to do toward equity, accountability, and justice that communities across our state are demanding and deserve," Evers said in the statement, shared on Twitter.
"America today: you can break the law, carry around weapons built for a military, shoot and kill people, and get away with it," Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., tweeted in response to the news.
"That’s the message we’ve just sent to armed vigilantes across the nation," Newsom added.
“A system that legitimizes vigilante murder is deeply broken," tweeted Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis.
"What we are witnessing is a system functioning as designed and protecting those it was designed for," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on Twitter. "My heart still breaks for the communities and families whose grief now compounds, and the countless others who will be denied and deprived in similar scenes across the country."
The Congressional Black Caucus called the ruling “unconscionable,” writing on Twitter: “It is unconscionable our justice system would allow an armed vigilante — who traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz — to go free.”
"Kyle Rittenhouse is living proof that white tears can still forestall justice," Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., wrote on Twitter. "A murderer is once again walking free today — our system is terribly broken."
New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, the chair of the House Judiciary committee, called it a "heartbreaking verdict" and a "miscarriage of justice" which "sets a dangerous precedent," and encouraged the Department of Justice to review the matter.
"Justice cannot tolerate armed persons crossing state lines looking for trouble while people engage in First Amendment-protected protest," Nadler wrote on Twitter.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the verdict "disgusting," saying in a tweet that it sends a "terrible message to this country."
"We can't let this go," he wrote. "We need stronger laws to stop violent extremism from within our own nation."
“The judge. The jury. The defendant. It’s white supremacy in action,” Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said in a tweet. “This system isn’t built to hold white supremacists accountable. It’s why Black and brown folks are brutalized and put in cages while white supremacist murderers walk free.”
“I’m hurt. I’m angry. I’m heartbroken,” she added.
“We have more peaceful marching to do. To where? Every ballot box across our land. Lace up,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said in a tweet.
Swalwell also defended President Biden's statement in a separate post: "President Biden is correct to not attack our jury system. But we must all march to the ballot boxes to change the laws that allowed a provocative self-defense to be exonerating and a biased judge steer the outcome."
"Participating in and learning local issues matter," he added. "Local judges are mostly elected. The laws they read to the jurors are determined by state legislators. We are not helpless. At all levels of democracy our engagement can make the difference between justice or injustice."
"Racism & white supremacy remain the bedrock of our legal system," Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass, wrote on Twitter. "My heart breaks for the family & loved ones of those whose lives were stolen, and the trauma our communities face today and every day. The struggle for accountability, for justice, for healing goes on."
“Our gun laws are protecting the wrong people,” tweeted Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif..
On the other hand, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Friday that he believes “justice has been served” in the Rittenhouse trial.
“I hope everyone can accept the verdict, remain peaceful, and let the community of Kenosha heal and rebuild,” he wrote on Twitter.
Conservative firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., simply wrote: “NOT GUILTY!!!!!!!”
The previous day, Gaetz suggested during an interview on Newsmax that his office might reach out to Rittenhouse to see if he'd be interested in an internship.
Rittenhouse "would probably make a pretty good congressional intern,” Gaetz said on Newsmax Wednesday, adding: “We may reach out to him and see if he’d be interested in helping the country in additional ways.”
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz, also appeared to dangle a prospective offer on Twitter Friday afternoon."Justice was served for #KyleRittenhouse and he is fully exonerated," he said of the verdict. "As I said last year, obviously self-defense."
Gosar added: "I will arm wrestle @mattgaetz to get dibs for Kyle as an intern."
Gaetz and Gosar weren't the only Republicans vying for Rittenhouse to intern in their offices, however.
“ACQUITTED ON ALL CHARGES,” Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., wrote on Twitter. In a video the North Carolina Republican shared on Instagram, Cawthorn urged his followers to “be armed, be dangerous, and be moral.”
“Kyle, if you want an internship, reach out to me," he wrote in a caption on the video.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga, who previously urged her Twitter followers to donate to a fundraiser for Rittenhouse’s legal defense team, praised him as “one of the good guys.”
“May Kyle and his family now live in peace,” Greene said on Twitter. “Those who help, protect, and defend are the good guys. Kyle is one of good ones.”
"NOT GUILTY!" tweeted Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., adding: "This is why in America we have trial by jury, not by media."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.