The reckless killing of Air Force veteran and pro-America protester Ashli Babbitt at the federal Capitol on January 6, 2021, is not forgotten. While her killer was given a free pass by the corrupt federal law enforcement, the victim’s family is still hoping for some sort of justice. On behalf of Babbitt’s family, conservative organization Judicial Watch has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the federal Government.
On Friday (January 5), Judicial Watch announced in a press release the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. Government on behalf of Ashli Babbitt’s husband and Estate. The $30 million lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court Southern District of California. Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, stated:
“Judicial Watch and our supporters are honored to represent Ashli’s steadfast widower Aaron Babbitt and her estate in this legal action. Ashli was shot in cold blood and the rule of law requires justice for her.”
The release underscored the facts that Babbitt’s killer Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd shot unarmed Babbitt despite her hands being “up in the air, empty, and in plain view of Lt. Byrd and other officers in the lobby.” At the time of the shooting, Lt. Byrd was not in his uniform and did not give Ashli any warnings or commands. And Byrd was a person prone to incompetent and dangerous behavior, based on his past record, yet deputed there on January 6 for the Capitol’s security.
Byrd’s police powers had been revoked more than once for failing to meet or complete the department’s semiannual firearms qualification requirements as well as for a reckless shooting at his stolen vehicle while he was off-duty. An official investigation into the vehicle shooting incident found that Byrd’s “use of force was not justified.”
In another incident in 2019, Byrd left his gun unattended in a bathroom inside the Capitol, leading to a police investigation into his negligence. The department decided to let him stay and Byrd owned the incident as a “terrible mistake” in an interview. Conservatives have defended Ashli Babbitt since her killing on January 6, 2021, and continue to do so. In May 2023, during a CNN town hall event, President Trump called Ashli Babbitt a “good person, a patriot” and denounced her killing by Michael Byrd whom he called a “thug.”
Trump’s rival Republican candidates for presidency 2024 have remained silent over Babbitt’s killing with the exception of Vivek Ramaswamy who mentioned Babbitt in a tweet a day after the Judicial Watch filed the wrongful death lawsuit. He called her killing a murder.
Following the news of the lawsuit, Tom Fitton talked to Newsmax about Babbitt’s homicide and asked on Twitter/X whether the Biden administration will defend her wrongful death.