In big news for those skeptical of the official narrative surrounding the January 6th incident, the family of deceased Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was shot to death by a Capitol police officer while in the Capitol on that fateful day, won in a wrongful death lawsuit against the Department of Justice, scoring a $5 million settlement.
As background, the lawsuit was brought on behalf of the Babbitt family, namely her husband and estate, by Judicial Watch, the conservative non-profit. In the suit, Judicial Watch alleged that U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd was negligent when he shot Ashli Babbitt to death.
Though an internal USCP investigation cleared Byrd, claiming that his actions “potentially saved members and staff from serious injury and possible death,” Babbitt, who was unarmed when shot to death, has since been seen by many on the MAGA side of politics as a martyr, pushing finding a settlement with her family a priority for the Trump Administration as it unravels Biden’s persecution of the J6ers.
In early May 2025, the press reported that a settlement had been reached between the Babbitt family, represented by Judicial Watch, and the Department of Justice. However, the details of the settlement remained opaque. They emerged on Monday, May 19, with the Washington Post first reporting that the DOJ had agreed to a $5 million settlement.
“President Donald Trump’s administration has agreed to pay nearly $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt to settle a lawsuit brought by the estate of the Trump supporter who was fatally shot by police when she tried to storm the House Speaker’s lobby during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol,” the Washington Post reported.
MAGA posters and commenters on X were quick to praise the news. For example, the Johnny MAGA X account wrote, nearly as the news came out in the Washington Post, “🚨 BREAKING: Ashli Babbitt’s family to receive nearly $5M for the wrongful death of the Air Force Veteran Great News. Hope it helps them heal. ❤️”
Commenters on that post from Johnny MAGA called for Byrd to face charges, saying things like “There ought to be a criminal (or civil) suit brought against the cop who shot her. That would be justice” and “I’m happy to see her family will get some justice. Ultimate, Michael Byrd needs to be charged.”
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On much the same note regarding both Byrd and Babbitt, conservative X personality Paul Szypula posted the Washington Post headline and said, “Ashli Babbitt’s family will get roughly $5 million for her wrongful demise. They deserve a lot more and the man who wrongly ended her life deserves life in prison. RIP Ashli.”
Leftists were upset by the news, as could be expected. One such commenter on Szypula’s post, for example, said, “We’re now cutting several million dollar checks to insurrectionists’ families because apparently storming the Capitol in a MAGA beanie now qualifies you for a taxpayer-funded reward. The Trump administration is forking over nearly $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt. Guess ‘law and order’ ends where the red hat begins.”
Watch Kash Patel sound off on Pelosi for her role in how J6 turned out in a dramatic hearing here:
Featured image credit: By Aaron Babbitt – Original publication: KSWBImmediate source: https://ktla.com/news/california/woman-killed-in-capitol-riot-shooting-idd-by-family-as-san-diego-resident/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77053862