The United States Capitol Police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the riot at the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, reportedly received preferential treatment from the law enforcement agency after Democrat lawmakers applied pressure.
Internal emails reveal that House Democrats leaned on U.S. Capitol Police to provide extraordinary financial and professional support to Lt. Michael Byrd, the officer who fatally shot unarmed protester Ashli Babbitt, according to Just the News.
House Democrats pressured U.S. Capitol Police to provide special financial assistance and even a promotion to the officer who fatally shot unarmed protester Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 riot, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer and charitable assistance not provided to other officers, according to internal emails reviewed by Just the News.
“He is very upset about how he is being treated. He wants us to figure this out and now,” a top congressional aide to then-House Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, wrote to Capitol Police in November 2021 pressing for more assistance to Lt. Michael Byrd after he killed Babbitt.
The records show that pressure also came from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s staff and from then-Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, causing Capitol Police to find any solution they could to make Byrd and Democrats happy. Despite the extraordinary assistance, Byrd expressed dissatisfaction and continued to insist he deserved more, to the chagrin of Capitol Police officials, according to records assembled by Congress.
“We play the game as you request and then once we’re in compliance You guys change the rules on us,” Byrd wrote to U.S. Capitol Police General Counsel Thomas DiBiase in November 2021 after being informed he wouldn’t be able to immediately access charitable funds from a memorial fund for fallen or wounded officers.
The benefits for Byrd included a $37,000 retention bonus, security upgrades, and assistance in raising over $164,000 through a GoFundMe campaign. This is far more than any other officer who was present at the riot received from the agency. Nevertheless, Byrd was not satisfied.
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These revelations come from a House Administration Oversight Subcommittee probe spearheaded by Chairman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), who criticized the USCP’s actions.
“In addition to USCP’s decision to promote Byrd despite his disciplinary history, I also have concerns about the decisions USCP made with respect to Byrd after January 6, 2021,” Loudermilk wrote in a letter to Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger.
The chairman pointed out that the Capitol Police “went to extremes, to where they gave bonuses to officers who are on the front line of the battle, that was a few thousand dollars—Byrd gets one of $37,000 okay, it’s not equally played.”
Just the News reviewed emails revealing extensive efforts to provide Byrd with various benefits, including security upgrades for his Maryland home that cost $21,899 and an offer to promote him to captain despite the fact that he was not eligible.
In his correspondence with Byrd, DiBiase noted that the officers who were injured in the 2017 attempt to assassinate Republican lawmakers at a baseball game received similar amounts.
“David Bailey and Crystal Griner were paid out $52,000 and $63,000, respectively, from the [Memorial Fund],” he wrote.
Byrd responded, taking issue with the pace at which the financial assistance came, saying it was “blatantly wrong to treat us like this” and complained that he was “being grouped in with everyone else.”
Byrd was eventually promoted to captain in 2023 despite having a lengthy disciplinary record. “I think people should really be considering the earlier question, which is whether he should have been on the force,” Loudermilk noted.
None of this is surprising when you are familiar with the brand of hypocrisy practiced by those on the left – especially when it comes to law enforcement. When the news of Babbitt’s murder was reported, Democrats immediately began Backing the Blue, celebrating Byrd’s unnecessary decision to open fire on her even though she was unarmed. Some leftists even mocked her for getting killed during the riot.
The reaction was a far cry from what typically happens when an officer unjustly shoots an unarmed Black man. Apparently, when the victim is a White Trump supporter, it’s good for officers to use deadly force even when it is not necessary.
But in this case, Democrats went even further, bending over backward to accommodate the corrupt officer who took Babbitt’s life. The fact that he got preferential treatment over officers who were wounded during the incident shows just how political this entire situation was.
