The Trump administration has reached a “settlement in principle” with the family of the January 6 protester Ashli Babbitt.
Sources familiar with the development told CBS News that the settlement has not yet been signed, although it would avoid a trial and further proceedings.
The lawsuit stated that Lt. Michael Byrd, who shot Babbitt, “confessed that he shot Ashli before seeing her hands or assessing her intentions or even identifying her as female.” It noted that Babbitt was “unarmed” with her “up in the air, empty, and in plain view of Lt. Byrd and other officers in the lobby.”
“Ashli posed no threat to the safety of anyone,” the filing said.
A 2021 review from the Capitol Police claimed Byrd’s actions “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.”
“USCP Officers had barricaded the Speaker’s Lobby with furniture before a rioter shattered the glass door. If the doors were breached, the rioters would have immediate access to the House Chambers. The officer’s actions were consistent with the officer’s training and USCP policies and procedures,” the review’s news release said.
President Trump told Newsmax in March that he would “look into” the lawsuit.
“I’m a big fan of Ashli Babbitt, okay, and Ashli Babbitt was a really good person who was a big MAGA fan, Trump fan, and she was innocently standing there — they even say trying to sort of hold back the crowd,” he said. “And a man did something unthinkable to her when he shot her, and I think it’s a disgrace. I’m going to look into that. I did not know that.”
