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    Speaker McCarthy Defends Police Officer Who Killed Ashli Babbitt: He ‘Did His Job’

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    Speaker McCarthy Defends Police Officer Who Killed Ashli Babbitt: He ‘Did His Job’


    House Speaker Kevin McCarthy defended Capitol Police officer Lieutenant Michael Byrd, who shot and killed unarmed Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt during the January 6th, 2021 riot at the Capitol.

    It’s quite the different story than the one told by his new buddy in Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said during a meeting of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Tuesday that Babbitt was “murdered.”

    “Ashli Babbitt has, there’s never been a trial,” Greene said. “As a matter of fact, no one has cared about the person that shot and killed her and no one in this Congress has really addressed that issue.”

    McCarthy was asked by a HuffPost reporter if he agreed with Greene’s sentiments.

    “I think the police officer did his job,” he admitted.

    RELATED: Report: Documents Show Ashli Babbitt Unarmed, Judicial Watch Says ‘No Good Reason’ For Shooting

    Kevin McCarthy Defends Officer Who Shot Ashli Babbitt

    Babbitt, a Trump supporter and Air Force veteran, was the only person killed during the riot when she was gunned down.

    Capitol Police officer Lieutenant Michael Byrd identified himself as the shooter in an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lestor Holt.

    He said taking down Babbitt, who was unarmed but tried to climb through broken glass into the House chamber, showed the “utmost courage.”

    Internal documents from DC Metropolitan Police, obtained through a FOIA lawsuit by the conservative group Judicial Watch, show witnesses had not seen Babbitt holding a weapon.

    They also provide conflicting reports as to whether she was verbally warned before being fired upon by Byrd.

    Texas Representative Troy Nehls said the findings could have led to manslaughter charges for Byrd, if not worse, though that is debateable.

    The revelations also prompted Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton to declare there was “no good reason” to shoot Babbitt.

    “The Biden-Garland Justice Department … have much to answer for over the mishandling and cover-up of this scandalous killing of an American citizen by the U.S. Capitol Police,” Fitton said.

    RELATED: Ashli Babbitt’s Husband Rips Capitol Police Officer Who Shot Her After He Complains About Death Threats: ‘Suck It Up’

    Trump Fires Back

    Former President Donald Trump said he “totally disagree(s)” with McCarthy’s assessment, calling Byrd a “coward” and insisting Ashli Babbitt “was murdered.”

    Byrd, he claimed “was not just ‘doing his job’ when he shot and killed Great Patriot Ashli Babbitt at point blank range,” Trump said on his Truth Social media platform.

    “He was not a hero but a COWARD, who wanted to show how tough he was,” the Republican presidential candidate insisted. “ASHLI BABBITT WAS MURDERED!!!”

    Byrd, though, had been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing and was cleared internally by the Capitol Police Department in August of 2021.

    The internal review “determined the officer’s conduct was lawful and within Department policy,” according to a statement by Capitol Police, and as such he would not face disciplinary action.

    Babbitt’s family’s lawyer has argued that she was “not an imminent threat of death or serious injury to anyone.”

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