Kevin McCarthy Defends Officer Who Shot Ashli Babbitt: ‘I Think The Police Officer Did His Job’

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Thursday, defended the officer who shot Ashli Bettbitt during the incident January 6, Capitol RiotHe said that he was only doing his job. 

McCarthy’s comments came as he was asked to respond to statements from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), has claimed that Babbitt was killed while inside the Capitol during January 6th riot. 

“I think the police officer did his job,” McCarthy During a briefing with journalists. 

Lt. Michael Byrd is the officer in question. shot Babbitt as she tried to make her way through a broken window of a barricaded door near the Speaker’s Lobby, As shown in video clips. Babbitt is a veteran of the Air Force. unarmed. 

The Justice Department Refused to face criminal charges The Capitol Police We declined to take disciplinary actions The incident was investigated. “The investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber,” The DOJ . 

Byrd claimed that his January 6th actions saved the country “countless lives” He only used his gun to defend himself. “last resort.” 

McCarthy’s comments differ from Greene and some other Republicans who have demanded that Byrd face legal consequences. “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 and no one in this Congress has really addressed that issue,” Greene made these remarks during Tuesday’s meeting of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

Former President Donald Trump McCarthy was also an opinionator on the subject, commenting on Truth Social. 

“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 declared. 

“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. 

Ashli Babbitt’s mother was arrested last month during a demonstration at the Capitol for allegedly blocking and obstructing a roadway but later released after the charges were dropped.

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