Former President Donald Trump seemingly claimed to know the officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt.
Babbitt, a supporter of Trump and an Air Force veteran, stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6. According to The Washington Post, Babbitt and other rioters attempted to breach a barricaded door inside the Capitol building. She was then shot by an officer as she climbed up toward a broken section of the door.
After speaking to Babbitt’s mother and husband, the former president released a statement calling for justice for Babbitt.
Trump argued Babbitt was “murdered at the hands of someone who should never have pulled the trigger of his gun,” adding, “We know who he is.”
He went on, “If that happened to the ‘other side,’ there would be riots all over America and yet, there are far more people represented by Ashli, who truly loved America, than there are on the other side. The Radical Left haters cannot be allowed to get away with this. There must be justice!”
“We know who he is.” Former President Trump continues to target the police officer who shot and killed a rioter. pic.twitter.com/J18gaeTaYw
— Chris Megerian (@ChrisMegerian) August 11, 2021
During a press conference in July, Trump mentioned Babbitt, as IJR previously reported.
He told reporters, “The person who shot Ashli Babbit, boom, right through the head, boom, there was no reason for that.” The former president also suggested the rioters were “being treated unbelievably unfairly.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) blasted Trump over his recent statement during an appearance on MSNBC.
“That officer’s life sadly is in danger,” Swalwell said.
Check out his comments below:
He added, “He is a hero, Joy. I am alive today and my colleagues are alive because he had to make that fateful decision, one that no officer wants to make, but a mob was crashing through the doors into the Speaker’s lobby. I saw them, I heard the smashing, the pounding, the breaking of glass, the chanting. Had they gotten through, it was many of our more vulnerable members who were the last to leave that would have been overrun had that officer not acted so bravely.”
Swalwell suggested, “To want to out this person after being cleared is only intended to put that person’s life in danger. This is just crushing these officers.”
