In a bizarre email exchange with the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, James Kraus, who acted as part of the prosecution team in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, wrote that he and prosecutor Thomas Binger are not—I repeat, NOT—having a homosexual affair.
In a very bizarre statement, Kenosha Assistant District Attorney James Kraus tells Wisconsin Lawyer Ethics Investigator that he and T. Clair Binger are NOT homosexual lovers. Keep in mind neither I nor anybody I have seen have accused them of being such. (T. Clair/LGBT Shirt) pic.twitter.com/YlyjqPJ97b
— Kenosha County Eye (@KenoshaCtyEye) December 20, 2021
The Kenosha District Attorney’s Office doesn’t like local investigator Kevin Mathewson digging around in their cases. Mathewson is not only a private investigator but he also has a local website, the Kenosha County Eye, that reports on local news in Kenosha. A former alderman for the city of Kenosha, Mathewson stays very involved in local politics with a focus on government corruption. The Kenosha assistant district attorney, Thomas Binger, and his associate, Kraus, were accused by Judge Schroeder of willfully engaging in misconduct multiple times during the high-profile trial. These two, Kraus and Binger, are not strangers to criticism, nor should they be based on the way they behave in court.
Mathewson told PJ Media that an article he wrote angered Kraus. That article detailed witness and photographer Nathan DeBruin alleging that Binger tried to get him to change his testimony. DeBruin would later tell this same story on the stand. Mathewson attended the trial of Rittenhouse and says that Kraus was combative and rude to him, often referring to him during the trial as “gossip blogger” who is “biased against the District Attorney.”
Kraus went off on a tirade about Mathewson’s site while interrogating DeBruin. It’s clear that Kraus doesn’t like Mathewson very much. He also does not like to be publicly criticized in his role as a public prosecutor (which is too bad for him but solidly protected under the First Amendment).
Mathewson filed a complaint claiming unethical behavior by Kraus for naming his website in court and making what he says are disparaging comments about him and his work. He received a lengthy response that included an email from Kraus, who made some startling claims and who also doesn’t appear to understand the Streisand Effect. By complaining about Mathewson and his website, Straus just made the Kenosha County Eye much more relevant. Kraus’s account of what happened in the courtroom between him and Mathewson is highly entertaining.
Mr. Mathewson angrily accosted me and , with a raised voice, took issue with how I had described his website. He challenged me to name one item which was not true. I indicated that a story he posted accusing ADA Binger of living with a sitting Kenosha County Judge was not true. He asked if I knew it was not true, I said I did, and then asked if I was living with a judge. I replied that I was not.
Mr. Mathewson then said that I was either a terrible prosecutor and/or a terrible lawyer. I did then respond, “You are a failed wedding photographer.” He then angrily yelled at me that “I was a failure at life.” I indicated “That is why you are back here (pointing at his seat) and I am up there (pointing to the courtroom)”
He began to angrily respond which is when the Judge came out and said he didn’t want to hear anymore. I never did call him a “tool.”
While I probably should have attempted to walk around him and ignore him, I cannot understand why he felt it appropriate to accost me and prevent me from leaving in the midst of my examination. He was quite clearly angry as he approached me and began insulting me. I noticed one of his e-mails he inaccurately relayed an exchange on the record in front of Judge Milisaukas.
He also indicated that “Kraus has a scary and concerning obsession with me” which could not be further from the truth. Before he began focusing own on me, I had barely interacted with Mr. Mathewson. I still have not had much contact-the above exchange being by far our longest interaction. He has involved himself in some criminal cases, which is not surprising given that he is a private investigator, and he has been listed on one case and subpoenaed in another.
Mr. Mathewson repeatedly sends harassing and abusive e-mails to my office, to the point where the District Attorney has repeatedly questioned his mental stability.
Also I feel I should point out that Mr. Mathewson has resorted to repeatedly insulting both my and ADA Binger’s physical appearances on his twitter account as well as his website. He has also indicated that we are homosexual (which he seems to feel is an insult) and posted at least one meme in which it suggests we are homosexual lovers. This is not true.
Kraus was apparently bothered that the Internet started calling him “Fatlock” and “Lunchbox” and he blamed Mathewson for sharing these memes. Mathewson told PJ Media that he never accused Kraus and Binger of being homosexuals. He also pointed out that he’s an award-winning wedding photographer. “This statement was defaming,” he said, referring to Kraus’s admitted insult about his photography business. “I’m actually quite a successful wedding photographer, but I’m only a part-time photographer.”
It’s also disturbing that Kraus admitted that District Attorney Michael Graveley was making disparaging remarks about Mathewson to his staff regarding alleged “mental instability.” PJ Media reviewed emails between Mathewson and Graveley and found the DA was indeed goading Mathewson about his mental health instead of providing the documentation Mathewson was asking for. In response to an email where Mathewson asked for documents in the public sphere that were connected to Kraus, DA Graveley responded like a high school mean girl. Instead of denying that request in a professional way, Graveley complained about receiving emails from Mathewson and then accused him of being mentally unwell. “I’m concerned about your mental stability and I again ask you to consider whether this may be an issue,” Graveley wrote in response to the document request.
RELATED: Mistrial? Prosecution Withheld Evidence From Rittenhouse Defense
Mathewson denies that he has any mental health issues and said he resents the trite attitude with which the DA throws the charge at members of the public like a weapon against the Freedom of Information Act, which requires Graveley to release public documents. “As for mental health, it is a very serious problem in this country and you should not joke about it,” Mathewson wrote in response to Graveley. “I can email you whenever I would like too, especially when we are opposing each other in a court action,” he added.
The Supreme Court Office of Lawyer Regulation is choosing not to get involved in the dispute between Mathewson and Kraus. “While it is clear that you were offended by Atty. Kraus referring to you as a ‘failed wedding photographer’ it does not rise to the level of ethical misconduct under the Wisconsin Supreme Court rules,” they wrote, dismissing the claim.
Despite this blow, Mathewson isn’t put off. “I’m glad the world has gotten a front row seat to the crap-show called the Kenosha DA’s office,” he finished.
PJ Media reached out to Graveley and Kraus to ask them to explain their inflammatory accusations against a member of the press seeking documents from their office. They did not respond.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member