Republican congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK) defended the still-unknown Capitol Police officer who shot Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt during the January 6 Capitol riot.
A total of five people died that day, but only Babbitt – who was unarmed – was killed.
“He (the Capitol police officer) was the last person in the world whoever wanted to use force like that and he wasn’t prone to do that,” Mullin said in an appearance on a C-Span show called January 6 Views From the House.
The GOP Rep. explained that he even had to comfort the officer after the shooting.
“I know for a fact because after it happened, he came over. He was physically and emotionally distraught,” explained Mullin. “I actually gave him a hug and said, ‘Sir, you did what you had to do.'”
.@RepMullin on police officer who fatally shot woman in Capitol on January 6th: “After it happened, he came over. He was physically and emotionally distraught. I actually gave him a hug and I said, ‘sir, you did what you had to do.'” pic.twitter.com/qSwZgilMS7
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 23, 2021
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Markwayne Mullin Defends Officer Who Shot Ashli Babbitt
Former President Donald Trump has questioned why the identity of the Capitol police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt has not been revealed.
“Who shot Ashli Babbitt? Why are they keeping that secret? Who was the person that shot an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman, a military woman?” he said in an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo earlier this month.
“I’ve heard also that it was the head of security for a certain high official, a Democrat,” he said, though he didn’t elaborate on why he believed that to be the case. “And we’ll see because it’s going to come out.”
A senior law enforcement official has denied that Babbitt was shot by a member of security for a Congressman.
Mother of Ashli Babbitt Honored at Trump Rally, Speaks Out to Reporters on DC Political Prisoners (VIDEO)https://t.co/pyb7fVIBO4
— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) July 25, 2021
Earlier this year, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) went so far as to say Babbitt had been “executed” during the Capitol protest.
“As the death certificate says, it was a homicide. Who executed Ashli Babbitt?” Gosar asked former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen at the time.
The Arizona Republican invited Babbitt’s mother to a recent pro-Trump rally where she said: “My daughter died for this cause.”
EXCLUSIVE: Mother of Ashli Babbitt tells National File “My daughter died for this cause… I’m here to be my daughter’s voice because it has been silenced” before Rep. Paul Gosar invited her out today. pic.twitter.com/lSMC5ChwCy
— National File (@NationalFile) July 24, 2021
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Justice Department Defends Officer
Despite the claims made by Gosar and Ashli Babbitt’s mother, the Department of Justice concluded that the Capitol Police officer’s actions did not violate any federal laws.
“Officials examined video footage posted on social media, statements from the officer-involved and other officers and witnesses to the events, physical evidence from the scene of the shooting and the results of the shooting,” a statement reads.
“Based on that investigation, officials determined that there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution.”
DEA Agent Flashed Service Weapon and Badge While Raiding the U.S. Capitol, Sharing Video of Ashli Babbitt with Other Officers: Fedshttps://t.co/ffcUSbI7tJ
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) July 20, 2021
Mullin insists that the Capitol police officer was “doing his job.”
“If you’re going to present your weapon … and give commands and they still don’t listen and they still approach, you don’t have a choice,” he said.
“Either you have to at that point discharge your weapon in … self-defense or that weapon is going to be taken away from you, it’s going to be used on you and put all of our lives in danger too.”
A select committee formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and stocked with anti-Trump Democrats and Republicans will begin conducting an investigation into the events that took place on January 6.
Trump has insisted that “a real and thorough investigation of this must be done” and it must include “who killed Ashli Babbitt?”
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