Honoring her birthday, former President Donald Trump sent a personal message to the family of Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran who would have turned 36 this weekend had she not been shot and killed during the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill.
According to a live broadcast from journalist Ford Fischer of an event honoring Babbitt, the event featured a variety of speeches and videos decrying her untimely death at the hands of a U.S. Capitol police officer. The personal message from Trump echoed the theme of the day, hailing Babbitt as a “hero” who deserves justice.
“To Ashli’s family and friends, please know that her memory will live on in our hearts for all time,” Trump said. “Ashli served our country in the United States Air Force for 14 years, where she was a security forces airman and eventually went on to achieve the rank of senior airman. She defended our nation overseas including in Iraq to fight in the war on terror.”
Ashlii Babbitt’s family held an event today on her birthday, and Trump actually sent them a video message. This .. is … unbelievable. “There was no reason Ashlii should have lost her life that day. We must all demand justice for Ashlii and her family.” pic.twitter.com/DpRMhkgCVa
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) October 10, 2021
“On that horrible day of January 6, Ashli arrived at the United States Capitol,” he continued. “She was shot and tragically killed. Today would’ve been her birthday. Happy birthday, Ashli.”
This past August, a U.S. Capitol Police internal investigation cleared the officer (Michael Byrd) in the shooting of the unarmed Babbitt, charging he acted lawfully and within his training:
USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) determined the officer’s conduct was lawful and within Department policy, which says an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that action is in the defense of human life, including the officer’s own life, or in the defense of any person in immediate danger of serious physical injury.
Speaking with NBC, officer Michael Byrd said that he showed “the utmost courage” on January 6.
In a photo taken Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd helps to direct the evacuation as the House chamber comes under attack by a violent mob during the congressional certification of the presidential election, at the Capitol in Washington. Minutes later, Lt. Byrd fatally shot a Trump protester, Ashli Babbitt, as she and other rioters were breaking into the Speaker’s Lobby where members of Congress were retreating. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
“I had been yelling and screaming as loud as I was, ‘Please stop. Get back. Get back. Stop.’ We had our weapons drawn,” he said.
“I was again taking a tactical stance. You’re ultimately hoping your commands will be complied with, and unfortunately, they were not,” he added.
Byrd insisted that Babbitt was “posing a threat to the House of Representatives” when she attempted to climb through a barricade into the Speaker’s Lobby outside the House chamber on January 6.
U.S. Capitol Police hold protesters at gunpoint near the House Chamber inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
In his message to Babbitt’s family, Trump said that there was “no reason” for Ashli to have lost her life on that fateful day while offering his “unwavering support” for her family’s quest for justice.
“There was no reason Ashli should’ve lost her life that day,” Trump said. “We must all demand justice for Ashli and her family. So on this solemn occasion as we celebrate her life, we renew our call for a fair and nonpartisan investigation into the death of Ashli Babbitt. I offer my unwavering support to Ashli’s family and call on the Department of Justice to reopen its investigation into her death on Jan. 6.”
In the months following Babbitt’s death, Trump reportedly spoke with her mother and expressed sympathy over what happened. “If that happened to the ‘other side,’ there would be riots all over America and yet, there are far more people represented by Ashli, who truly loved America, than there are on the other side. The Radical Left haters cannot be allowed to get away with this. There must be justice!” Trump reportedly said.
