(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The federal government, now led by President Donald Trump, may finally compensate the grieving family of Ashli Babbitt—a veteran and MAGA activist who was fatally shot inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Judicial Watch, a conservative non-profit, sued the federal government for $30 million in wrongful death damages on behalf of Babbitt’s estate and husband, Aaron. The Biden administration had fought tooth and nail to dismiss the case until President Donald Trump took office in January.
A document filed by federal attorneys and Judicial Watch on Feb. 25 stated that the “parties have agreed to work in good faith to narrow or resolve issues in this case.”
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton did not delve into the case’s details but said, “All we want is justice and we hope the Justice Department under President Trump would share that goal ultimately.”
Fitton’s comments and the federal government’s filing mark the first time since the lawsuit was filed that the federal government has suggested that a settlement is under way.
The sudden shift comes on the heels of Trump’s sweeping pardons and commutations for those prosecuted in the Jan. 6 protest.
While Democrats have described that day as a dangerous insurrection and even a terrorist attack, Babbitt was the only person killed. She was seen climbing a door with cracked glass leading to the Speaker’s lobby before being fatally shot by police officer Michael Byrd.
Other individuals who died that day did so of natural causes. Kevin Greeson and Benjamin Phillips passed due to cardiovascular disease, while Rosanne Boyland, another Trump supporter, died due to an accidental overdose. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, meanwhile, suffered stroke and died eight hours after the protest.
Shortly after Biden took office, his DOJ cracked down on anyone who entered the U.S. Capitol to protest. Biden’s heavy-handed enforcement prompted the Supreme Court to intervene, ruling that the DOJ had illegally used a law to prosecute some of the Jan. 6 defendants.
Trump undid Biden’s mishaps by pardoning those who were prosecuted by the Biden administration. The pardons occurred just days after Biden commuted the death sentences of all death-row inmates.
Biden also became the first president in U.S. history to pardon his siblings and son, shielding them from accountability for crimes committed over an 11-year period.
