Rittenhouse, who became a cause célèbre in the conservative media in late 2020 and was even backed by then-President Donald Trump, organized a fundraiser on GiveSendGo, which was touted as a contribution to his legal defense. According to the website, he raised $586,940 between August 27 last year and January 7. GoFundMe was hit by huge backlash when it pulled out Rittenhouse`s fundraisers. In an email CNN seen Tuesday, Wendy Rittenhouse asked her son`s supporters for money to cover his November legal fees. Now, GiveSendGo`s leaked data appears to shed light on the sources of more than $500,000 in donations to Rittenhouse`s Legal Defense Fund. The data was unearthed by the digital activist group Distributed Denial Of Secrets and shared with NBC News on Friday. GoFundMe issued a statement following Kyle Rittenhouse`s acquittal on Friday, saying fundraisers for the teen would now be allowed on the site — more than a year after the company withdrew all defense funds for him on its platform. Kyle Rittenhouse`s mother asked for donations to cover the cost of her son`s legal fees before the jury`s decision on his case. That nearly half-million-dollar figure went through FreeKyleUSA, the main fundraiser launched by Rittenhouse`s mother at the start of her legal battle, and the Milo Fund, a new donation vehicle “trained to receive donations and pay legal fees,” according to the Twitter post. Meanwhile, several Wisconsin police officers donated to a “Support Rusten Sheskey” fundraiser organized for the Kenosha Police Department officer whose shooting of a black man, Jacob Blake, led to the protests that drew Rittenhouse to town. GoFundMe did not immediately respond to FOX Business` request for comment on why fundraising for Wilson was and remains on the site, even though they removed what they said in Friday`s statement “hundreds of other fundraisers between August and December 2020 — independent of Rittenhouse — that we found in violation of this longstanding policy.” A data breach on a Christian crowdfunding website revealed that police officers and officials on duty donated money to fundraisers for alleged vigilante murderers, far-right activists and colleagues accused of shooting black Americans.

In its statement, GoFundMe said its terms of service “prohibit fundraising for the legal defense of an alleged violent crime,” so “once violent crime charges were laid against Kyle Rittenhouse in 2020,” they removed them all. One of them was a defense fund for Marc Wilson, who claims to have acted in self-defense when he shot and killed a 17-year-old girl in an alleged traffic accident. Rittenhouse told Carlson that the inspiration for launching his fund was to hold other organizations and individuals “accountable for what they`ve done to me because I don`t want to see anyone have to go through what I`ve been through.” Rittenhouse faces death charges and a misdemeanor charge of possessing firearms of minors for shooting two people and injuring a third during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last August after police fired the non-fatal shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse`s case has become a rallying point for pro-gun groups and conservative pundits who argue the 17-year-old acted in self-defense. They helped generate the $2 million needed for Rittenhouse`s bail in November and continued to allocate large sums of money to various Rittenhouse-related fundraising efforts. Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted last year of allegations related to the shooting of three people in Kenosha in August 2020, has launched a new fundraising fund that he says will help bring some media outlets and individuals to justice to hold them accountable for their “lies.” Officers and officials have also donated to fundraisers for far-right activists and colleagues accused of shooting black Americans “Kyle Rittenhouse and Wendy would like to thank everyone for their support and support over the past decade,” a separate message from the @freekyleusa account said Monday morning. “Your help has been crucial.” Wendy Rittenhouse appealed in an email, estimating that Kyle Rittenhouse`s legal fee for the month of November will be $110,000, according to CNN. Wilson is currently on trial for murder in this case, but the same GoFundMe created for him days after Rittenhouse`s defense funds were cut remains on GoFundMe. “If anyone is acquitted of these charges, as Rittenhouse was today, a fundraiser then began for his legal defense and other expenses would not violate this policy,” the statement continued.

“A fundraiser to pay lawyers, cover legal fees or support the ongoing living expenses of a person acquitted of these charges could remain active as long as we determine that they do not violate any of our other conditions and, for example, that the purpose is clearly stated and that the right beneficiary of the fundraiser is added. The Guardian had previously reported on the site`s use for fundraising purposes for far-right groups such as the Proud Boys, which have been banned from other crowdfunding platforms following violent incidents, including the alleged participation of members of the group in an attack on the US Capitol on January 6.