Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and former President Donald Trump have claimed that Ashli Babbitt, a woman who was shot by a U.S. Capitol Police officer on Jan. 6, 2021, was “murdered.” But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told reporters that the officer was “doing his job.”
A reporter asked the speaker about a claim that Greene made regarding the shooting of Ashli Babbitt.
“One of the first things Marjorie Taylor Greene said from the Oversight dais was that Ashli Babbitt was murdered. Do you think Ashli Babbitt was murdered or do you think the police officer who shot her was doing his job?” the reporter asked McCarthy.
“I think the police officer did his job,” McCarthy responded.
In response, Trump took to Truth Social and disagreed with McCarthy.
“I totally disagree with the Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, in that the Police Officer ‘Thug,’ who has had a very checkered past to begin with, was not just ‘doing his job’ when he shot and killed Great Patriot Ashli Babbitt at point blank range,” Trump wrote.
“Despite trying to keep him anonymous, shielded, and protected, this MISFIT proudly showed up on NBC Fake Nightly News ‘bragging’ about the killing. He was not a hero but a COWARD, who wanted to show how tough he was. ASHLI BABBITT WAS MURDERED!!!” he added.
Additionally, Greene tweeted that the “only violence” Babbitt committed was punching a protester who broke one of the Capitol’s windows.
I’ve watched the videos of Ashli Babbit’s murder.
Yes she was inside the Capitol, but the only violence she committed was punching another J6’er in the face after he broke the window.
Not an officer or law maker, she punched a J6’er & tried to stop them, then Byrd shot her. pic.twitter.com/p8WE1Owxtn
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) February 3, 2023
During a meeting of the House Oversight Committee, Greene pivoted to Babbitt’s case upon discussing the death of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten by 5 Black police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.
She went on to compare the deaths of Nichols and Babbitt, saying, “there’s a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on January 6, Ashli Babbitt. And Ashli Babbitt has – there’s never been a trial. As a matter of fact, no one has cared about the person that shot and killed her.”
Civil rights and liberties are important, but there is a clear difference between Tyre Nichols and Ashli Babbit. pic.twitter.com/ARpdJkShZp
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 31, 2023
Micki Witthoeft is the mother of Ashli Babbitt and the person Greene was referencing in her remarks.
On Jan. 6, 2023, the two-year “anniversary” of Ashli Babbitt’s death, Witthoeft was arrested for “blocking traffic.”
She was part of a group of protesters walking on Independence Ave. between the Capitol and House office buildings, protesting the death of her daughter.
The Department of Justice closed its investigation into Babbitt’s death in April 2021, saying there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against her killer.
