Speaker McCarthy defends police officer who killed Ashley Babbitt: He ‘did his job

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has defended Capitol Police Officer Lt. Michael Byrd, who shot and killed unarmed Trump supporter Ashley Babbitt during a riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

That’s a very different story than the one told by his new friend in Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who told a House Oversight and Accountability Committee meeting Tuesday that Babbitt was “murdered.”

“Ashley Babbitt has not had a trial,” Green said. “In fact, no one cared about the person who shot him and no one in this Congress really addressed the issue.”

McCarthy was asked by a HuffPost reporter if he agreed with Green’s sentiments.

“I think the police officer did his job,” he admitted.

Related: Report: Documents show Ashley Babbitt unarmed, Judicial Watch says ‘no good reason’ for shooting

Kevin McCarthy defends the officer who shot Ashley Babbitt

Babbitt, a Trump supporter and Air Force veteran, was the only person shot and killed during the riots.

Capitol Police Officer Lt. Michael Byrd identified himself as the shooter in an interview with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt.

He said taking down Babbitt, who was unarmed but tried to climb through broken glass into the House chamber, showed “tremendous courage”.

Internal documents from the D.C. Metropolitan Police, obtained through a FOIA lawsuit by the conservative group Judicial Watch, show witnesses did not see Babbitt holding a weapon.

They also provide conflicting reports about whether Byrd was verbally warned before he was fired.

Texas Rep. Troy Nehls said the findings could lead to manslaughter charges for Byrd, if not worse, though that’s disputed.

The revelations prompted Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton to declare there was “no good reason” to fire Babbitt.

“The Biden-Garland Justice Department … has a lot to answer for the abuse and cover-up of this disgraceful killing of an American citizen by the US Capitol Police,” Fitton said.

RELATED: Ashley Babbitt’s Husband Tears Down Capitol Police Officer Who Shot Her After Complaining About Death Threats: ‘Suck It Up’

Trump fired back

Former President Donald Trump said he “completely disagrees” with McCarthy’s assessment, calling Byrd a “coward” and insisting Ashley Babbitt was “murdered.”

Byrd, he claimed “wasn’t just ‘doing his job’ when he shot and killed great patriot Ashley Babbitt at point blank range,” Trump said on his Truth social media platform.

“He was not a hero, but a coward who wanted to show how tough he was,” the Republican presidential candidate insisted. “Ashley Babbitt was killed!!!”

Bird, however, was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing and was cleared internally by the Capitol Police Department in August 2021.

An internal review “determined the officer’s conduct was lawful and within department policy,” according to a Capitol Police statement, and therefore he should not face disciplinary action.

Lawyers for Babbitt’s family argued that he was “not an imminent threat of death or serious injury to anyone.”

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