Sounds like the alleged Portland shooter of Trump supporter Aaron Danielson is already constructing his defense, perhaps even trying to taint the jury pool.

The only problem is it doesn’t sound anything like the facts that we know of at this point. Plus it also sounds like he intends to blame the shooting on Danielson.

VICE News just advertised a teaser of an interview that they did with Michael Forest Reinoehl, the suspected killer.

The interview clip has Reinoehl claiming he “had no choice,” seemingly admitting his involvement but arguing self-defense.

From NY Post:

“You know, lots of lawyers suggest that I shouldn’t even be saying anything, but I feel it’s important that the world at least gets a little bit of what’s really going on,” Michael Forest Reinoehl said during an exclusive interview with the outlet scheduled to air at 11 p.m. Thursday.

“I had no choice,” Reinoehl said. “I mean, I, I had a choice. I could have sat there and watched them kill a friend of mine of color. I wasn’t going to do that.”

The facts and video as adduced so far do not suggest that he was defending anyone, much less a black person. Indeed, on video you can hear people saying, “We have a Trumper here,” suggesting it may have been targeted.

Tonight in Portland BLM terrorists and Antifa murdered a Trump supporter in cold blood.

No altercation, no fight. He walked up behind him and assassinated him because of his political views.pic.twitter.com/jNDs0YJcGn

— Mike Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) August 30, 2020

Police have not yet arrested or charged Reinoehl, although police sources reportedly told The Oregonian that Reinoehl was a target of their investigation.

Now the problem of course is if he’s admitting involvement and the police had any question about his involvement, he’s just removed it. One of the reasons that “lots of lawyers” suggest that suspects shouldn’t say anything is whoever they say can then be used against them and they’re locked into a story. Generally, an unwise move. If the story he’s now pitched to VICE varies from the evidence, he could be buying problems for his defense.

But it sounds like he’s trying to seize the PR response and put a self-defense angle out there. Of course, Aaron Danielson is no longer alive to put his story out there, but that said there were other witnesses on scene as well as video.

Reinoehl’s social media revealed that he described himself as “100% Antifa.”

“Every Revolution needs people that are willing and ready to fight,” he wrote in June, comparing it to his time in the Army.

“I am 100 % ANTIFA all the way! I am willing to fight for my brothers and sisters!” he said, insisting he would not “run” from violence.

“It will be a war and like all wars there will be casualties,” he wrote, calling protesters and Antifa “my brothers in arms.”

Reinoehl has two prior illegal gun possession charges just since June, according to the Daily Caller.

On July 5, he was cited for resisting arrest, interfering with an officer and illegal gun possession for having a gun at one of the demonstrations.

In June he was charged with reckless endangerment for allegedly speeding on the interstate at 111 mph, and illegal gun possession while driving with his 11 year old daughter in the care.

Unfortunately he wasn’t held.