Lauren Boebert Challenges Wheelchair User Madison Cawthorn to a 'Sprint'

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has challenged a wheelchair-using GOP colleague to a "sprint" to secure the services of Kyle Rittenhouse.

A number of conservatives, including former President Donald Trump, have publicly celebrated Rittenhouse's acquittal over the fatal shooting of two men and the injuring of a third during protests in Wisconsin in August 2020.

At least four GOP lawmakers have expressed their interest in offering Rittenhouse an internship, including Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, who uses a wheelchair.

Before Rittenhouse's acquittal on Friday, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said the 18-year-old would "probably make a pretty good congressional intern."

This prompted Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) to tweet that he would "arm wrestle" Gaetz "to get dibs for Kyle as an intern."

After the verdict, Cawthorn shared a video about the case—along with the caption: "Kyle, if you want an internship, reach out to me."

In the video, the lawmaker said: "You have a right to defend yourself, so be armed, be dangerous and be moral."

Amid the clamor for Rittenhouse's services, Boebert told the conservative network Newsmax on Tuesday that Cawthorn had said "he would arm wrestle me for this Kyle Rittenhouse internship."

"But Madison Cawthorn has some pretty big guns, and so I would like to challenge him to a sprint instead. Let's make this fair," she said, laughing, before the anchor, Sebastian Gorka offered to arm wrestle Cawthorn on Boebert's behalf.

Cawthorn was partially paralyzed in a car accident in 2014.

Boebert's remark prompted GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a frequent Trump critic who is on the congressional committee investigating the Capitol riots, to tweet: "What."

Former GOP presidential candidate Joe Walsh posted that the Newsmax exchange was "today's Republican Party in a nutshell."

Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges over the shootings in Kenosha on August 25, 2020, in a trial that exposed once again America's divisions over race, gun control and self-defense.

The teenager's attorney, Mark Richards, has expressed his unease at Rittenhouse being co-opted by right-wing members of the Republican Party, who he said were using the case for their own benefit.

"There's a lot of people trying to profit on this and I don't think people should," Richards told Insider.

"They're raising money on it, and you have all these Republican congressmen saying, 'Come work for me,'" Richards said. "They want to trade on his celebrity and I think it's disgusting."

Newsweek has contacted Boebert and Cawthorn's offices for comment.