Ashli Babbitt’s husband Aaron appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Thursday and responded to the MSNBC interview with his wife’s killer.
Lt. Michael Byrd broke his silence and confirmed his identity with an on-camera interview with MSNBC earlier in the evening. The Capitol Police previously refused to confirm the shooter’s name, even though it was reported all over the right-wing media, including by the Gateway Pundit.
During his MSNBC appearance, Byrd said that he saved “countless lives” by killing Babbitt, who was unarmed. He also complained that he has been getting death threats since killing the Air Force veteran. The officer said that it was “disheartening” and that he was simply “doing my job.”
In an exclusive interview with @LesterHoltNBC, Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd describes why he’s choosing to identify himself. Byrd shares his account of the January 6 riot, as officers barricaded the door and he fired a single shot, killing Ashli Babbitt. pic.twitter.com/5E7KPtxNc2
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) August 26, 2021
Babbitt’s husband did not hold back in his response, saying that the officer needs to “suck it up.”
“I don’t even want to hear him talk about how he’s getting death threats and he’s scared,” Aaron Babbitt said. “I’ve been getting death threats since Jan. 7 — two, three, five, 10 a day — and all I did on Jan. 6 was become a widower. So, you’re going to have to suck it up, bud, and take it.”
Tucker Carlson, Aaron Babbitt (Ashli Babbitt's Husband), And Terrell Roberts (Babbitt Family Attorney) React To The Interview With The Capitol Hill Police Officer Who Shot & Killed Ashli Babbitt pic.twitter.com/MCCqr6Skq4
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) August 27, 2021
Tucker Carlson also noted that Byrd is the same officer who previously left his loaded weapon in a bathroom at the Capitol building in 2019.
Byrd claimed that Babbitt was a threat, which Carlson was quick to call out.
“She was 5’2, she was unarmed, there were armed police in tactical gear standing right next to her on the other side of the door,” Carlson noted. “She was not warned, the tape shows that — she was just executed. But she was a threat, that’s what he’s telling you.”
Carlson mocked Byrd for pretending that he’s the “real victim” in the situation.
Babbitt’s husband said that he was “pissed off” and his “agitation level” was through the roof hearing the officer say that he did not care if she was armed or not. He also said that Representatives Paul Gosar, Louie Gohmert, and Marjorie Taylor Greene are the only lawmakers that have been in contact with the family.
Investigations by the Capitol Police and the Justice Department cleared the officer of any wrongdoing.
“The investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber,” federal prosecutors said in a statement.
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that Babbitt was murdered.
