Capitol Police ‘Extremely Disappointed’ by Trump’s Decision To Award $5 Million to Family of Ashli Babbitt

The United States Capitol Police chief says he is “extremely disappointed” by the Trump administration’s decision to award $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt, a woman who was shot and killed by an officer inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021, as she was trying to break through a window. Babbitt was one of hundreds of rioters to breach the Capitol that day, though she tried to go farther than others by climbing over obstacles to get to a window that led into the Speaker’s Lobby — a room just off the House floor. Despite repeated warnings to step back, she was shot and later died. “I am extremely disappointed and disagree with this settlement,” the chief of the Capitol Police, Thomas Manger, tells the Sun in a statement. “In 2021, the DOJ investigation determined no wrongdoing by police.”“This settlement sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide, especially to those with a protective mission like ours,” he added. At the time Babbitt was trying to climb through the window into the Speaker’s Lobby, law enforcement was evacuating lawmakers from the floor to a secure location. On Monday, it was reported by the Washington Post that the Trump administration would pay Babbitt’s family $5 million more than four years after her death, even though an investigation by the Department of Justice found that the officer who had fired the gun reasonably believed it was necessary to protect himself and the members of Congress in the building. Last year, a conservative group, Judicial Watch, filed a wrongful death suit against the government on behalf of Babbitt’s husband, Aaron Babbitt. Earlier this month, government lawyers and attorneys for Mr. Babbitt announced in federal court that they had reached an agreement on a settlement, though details were not disclosed. Babbitt’s death became a cause célèbre for conservatives early on in the Biden administration, with many high-profile figures calling for an investigation. President Trump later, in October 2021, sent a video to the Babbitt family that was played at a memorial. “We gather today to cherish the memory of Ashli Babbitt — a truly incredible person,” Mr. Trump said at the time. “I offer my unwavering support to Ashli’s family.”The officer who shot and killed Babbitt that day, Michael Byrd, later disclosed his identity in an interview with NBC News in 2021. He said he had to go into hiding for several months after some conservative activists uncovered his identity and threatened him. “I tried to wait as long as I could,” Mr. Byrd said at the time. “I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors. But their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers.”

Capitol Police ‘Extremely Disappointed’ by Trump’s Decision To Award $5 Million to Family of Ashli Babbitt

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