Former President Donald Trump berated House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over the California Republican’s comment on the Jan. 6, 2021 killing of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd.
During a meeting of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Tuesday, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that Babbitt was "murdered" by the officer and that "no one in this Congress has really addressed that issue."
Following the meeting, a reporter asked McCarthy: "Do you think Ashli Babbit was murdered, or do you think the police officer who shot her was doing his job?"
McCarthy responded: "I think the police officer did his job."
Trump was furious, writing in a Truth Social post: “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. 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!!!”
In April 2021, the Department of Justice announced it would not be seeking criminal charges against Byrd.
Darren Beattie: "@SpeakerMcCarthy Is A Cut Above Paul Ryan" @DarrenJBeattie https://t.co/Fw0Ndksjdx pic.twitter.com/kHtyOkgiHU
— Grace Chong 🇺🇸 (@gc22gc) January 28, 2023
Free Press International
[Freedom Is Not Free!]