People who face life in prison – and have money, whether donated or personally earned – prepare for their trial in every possible way.

Kyle Rittenhouse ended up with great trial attorneys and a fantastic and sensitive “handler” – a man charged with shaping Rittenhouse’s image. The trial garnered massive pre-trial coverage, which was bound to impact how he was seen, without regard to whether it was ever considered by the jury.

Rittenhouse’s handler was David Hancock, and he’s not happy, to put it nicely, with how Kyle turned out. Hancock believes that they set Rittenhouse on a path to a new, more fulfilling life.

For reasons that only Hancock can know, he wrote a scathing tweet on Rittenhouse’s preparation for adulthood and life afterward.

But Hancock described the effort that went into making an immature adolescent with a penchant for violence and morphing Rittenhouse into an “innocent” (He is innocent in the eyes of the law) young man who meant well and got caught up in something he couldn’t control.

But Hancock couldn’t hold back:

Is anyone surprised that Kyle's far-right political handlers ensured this particular detail didn't make it into his book? (See photo)

Regarding his online high school diploma, we had to force him to complete the four years of credits in just ten months, which he did using the… pic.twitter.com/bWvJvlZiWv

— David Hancock (@DaveHan06) April 1, 2024

Yes, we already have a story out on Rittenhouse failing to qualify for the military in and around the period of the shooting. Perhaps the FOIA request spurned on Hancock’s diatribe.

But if you read the entirety of the tweet, Hancock places the blame squarely on Rittenhouse and the Right-Wing rage machine.

Hancock revealed that Rittenhouse needed four years of high school credits over 10 months to graduate from high school with his GED. Hancock said that Rittenhouse used the “Google machine” to get the four years of credits – make of that what you will. Rittenhouse dropped out of school in middle school, and getting his GED would allow him to legally say he has a diploma.

Hancock then describes the significant effort that went into the transformation: new hair, new suits, and the world’s leading jury consultant. However, reading into the tweet, it’s impossible not to see that along with the physical and paper transformations, the team had to have spent a lot of time giving Kyle some “life” advice on how to carry yourself, how to address people, how to properly show your anger, and how to taper one’s arrogance.

In his own words, Hancock then described how it all fell apart:

It was a meticulously crafted facade, which we sincerely hoped he would grow into. Instead, he squandered a full scholarship to study any subject at any university in the country to become a divisive douchebag and antagonize black Americans on college campuses. Kyle failed to learn a single thing. He remains the same uneducated, arrogant, and antagonistic individual, incapable of telling the truth.

The bolded portion is the sad part. Kyle Rittenhouse was given an opportunity (shooting or not) to develop the maturity he lacked and an education he would have otherwise missed. Many kids would love to have that opportunity.

The “divisive” part – we won’t use the pejorative – is likely due to a combination of Rittenhouse’s arrogance and greed. After all, the checks came from appearing at TPUSA events, not taking English 101 at a good university. It is also tragic that the “black versus white” thing seems to be an integral part of MAGA – though there are some worrisome changes that Black Democrats are drifting right.

In the end, Hancock gives us an insider’s look at what sounds like disappointment as much as anger. You can’t spend that much time with a “kid” – helping him grow up a bit and not be hurt that it didn’t amount to much.

Rittenhouse got the perfect verdict. Hancock believes that the imperfections manifested themselves after the trial.

Here is the full transcript of Hancock’s post on X/Twitter:

“Is anyone surprised that Kyle’s far-right political handlers ensured this particular detail didn’t make it into his book? (Referring to photo of email detailing how Rittenhouse was banned from ever applying to the Marine Corp again due to failing the entrance exam so terribly)

Regarding his online high school diploma, we had to force him to complete the four years of credits in just ten months, which he did using the “Google machine.”

We invested significant effort to craft the image you witnessed during the trial. We outfitted him in new suits, arranged for his haircut every weekend during the trial, and dedicated over 200 hours to prepare him for direct and cross-examination. We employed the world’s leading jury consultant and conducted extensive research through three mock trials to identify the ideal jurors and the most effective approach for his testimony.

Transforming a middle school dropout who was “angry at the world” with a history of violence and an unhealthy obsession with guns and killing into a respectable young man with a desire for higher education and a promising future was no easy feat.

It was a meticulously crafted facade, which we sincerely hoped he would grow into. Instead, he squandered a full scholarship to study any subject at any university in the country to become a divisive douchebag and antagonize black Americans on college campuses. Kyle failed to learn a single thing. He remains the same uneducated, arrogant, and antagonistic individual, incapable of telling the truth.

Now, he genuinely believes he is the show pony we created and has surrounded himself with sycophants who fuel his inflated ego because they prioritize their political agenda and Christian Nationalist worldview over his well-being.

Despite my efforts to guide him toward a better path in life, the allure of notoriety triumphed over the prospect of putting in the hard work of pursuing an education. Kyle is ill-equipped to offer advice to young people. I regret my role in shaping him into whatever he has become. If I had known what I know now about Kyle’s history, I wouldn’t have been involved.”

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Jason Miciak can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @JasonMiciak