Trump Admin to Pay Slain Capitol Rioter Ashli Babbitt‘s Family $5 Million
Babbitt’s family had initially sought $30 million in their wrongful death lawsuit.
Rebecca Cook/REUTERS
The Trump administration will be paying nearly $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot while trying to enter the House Speaker’s lobby on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Babbitt family’s attorneys—among them the conservative group Judicial Watch—will see about one-third of the settlement amount regarding the wrongful death lawsuit, according to The Washington Post.
The family initially sought $30 million when filing the suit in January. Earlier this month, the two sides agreed in principle to a settlement.
President Donald Trump has frequently claimed that Babbitt’s death at the hands of a Capitol Police officer was unjust, even though multiple investigations found no wrongdoing.
Nicole Reffitt, the wife of convicted rioter Guy Reffitt, with Micki Witthoeft, Babbitt's mother
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
A Capitol Police probe said the officer “potentially saved members and staff from serious injury and possible death from a large crowd of rioters who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol and to the House Chamber where members and staff were steps away.”
Trump has also sought to make the 35-year-old Air Force veteran a martyr for the MAGA movement, including by paying tribute to her with a birthday video shown at a Texas Loves Ashli Babbitt rally in 2021.
An image of Trump appears on video screens before his Jan. 6 speech.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag
“Her memory will live on in our hearts for all time,” said Trump, who has tried to reframe the Jan. 6 insurrection as a day of “patriotism.”
As part of that effort, he pardoned over 1,500 people charged for their actions during the riot to overturn the 2020 election results. He also granted clemency to those who had been convicted of seditious conspiracy.
The president revealed in March that he’s even considering setting up a compensation fund for rioters.
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“A lot of the people that are in the government now talk about it because a lot of the people in government really like that group of people,” he said during an interview on Newsmax. “They’re patriots as far as I’m concerned.”
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