Prominent Republican Liz Cheney slams Donald Trump as "a threat America has never seen before". Video / C-SPAN
Former US president Donald Trump has issued an ominous statement saying he knows the identity of the Capitol Police officer who shot dead an insurrectionist during the Capitol riot on January 6.
For several weeks now, Mr Trump has been demanding that authorities publicly identify the officer, even though prosecutors concluded he had no case to answer.
Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, was among the Trump supporters who attacked the US Capitol in a last-ditch attempt to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.
“Nothing will stop us...they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours...dark to light!” tweeted by Ashli Babbitt on the evening of Jan 5, 2021.
The officer shot her as she tried to force her way through a barricaded door and enter the Speaker's Lobby, which is adjacent to the House of Representatives chamber. Members of Congress were still being evacuated from the chamber at the time.
After a three-month investigation, prosecutors said the officer "reasonably believed" it was necessary to open fire to protect both himself and members of Congress.
Nevertheless, Trump has repeatedly brought up Ms Babbitt's death in public, calling her "innocent" and demanding "justice".
"I spoke to the wonderful mother and devoted husband of Ashli Babbitt, who was murdered at the hands of someone who should never have pulled the trigger of his gun. We know who he is," the former president said today.
"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.
Ashli Babbitt's driver's license photo from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Photo / AP
Trump has been fixated on the shooting since early July, when he issued one of the shortest official statements in the history of US politics: "Who shot Ashli Babbitt?"
Incidentally he bested that four-word record today, cutting it down to three with the all caps pronouncement: "BULLIES NEVER FIGHT!"
There was no more context. My best guess is he was referring to the resignation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been forced out of office by a sexual harassment scandal, but who knows for sure?
On July 7, at a press conference announcing his lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter and Google, Trump brought up Babbitt again.
"The person that shot Ashli Babbitt – boom, right through the head, just boom – there was no reason for that," he said (she was actually shot in the shoulder, not the head).
"And why isn't that person being opened up, and why isn't that being studied? They've already written it off. They said that case is closed.
"If that were the opposite, that case would be going on for years and years, and it would not be pretty."
He made those remarks in response to a question asking what he did to stop the insurrection while it was happening on January 6.
Violent protesters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol in Washington. Photo / AP
Then, in an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo, he went further.
"Who shot Ashli Babbitt? Why are they keeping that secret?" Trump asked.
"Who was the person who shot an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman, a military woman, right in the head?
"And there's no repercussions. If that were on the other side, it would be the biggest story in this country. Who shot Ashli Babbitt? People want to know. And why?"
He said he'd "heard" the officer in question was "the head of security for a certain high official, a Democrat".
Donald Trump has issued an ominous statement saying he knows the identity of the Capitol Police officer who shot dead an insurrectionist during the Capitol riot. Photo / AP
Trump provided no evidence for that theory, and a senior law enforcement official later told NBC News the officer was not part of a security detail for any member of Congress.
Babbitt was one of seven people who died on or shortly after January 6.
Another of Mr Trump's supporters, 34-year-old Rosanne Boyland, died from a drug overdose. Footage showed other rioters trampling over her body to fight with police.
Two more protesters, Kevin Greeson and Benjamin Phillips, died from heart failure.
Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick collapsed after clashing with rioters and died the next day after suffering two strokes.
And two other police officers, Jeffrey Smith and Howard Liebengood, took their own lives in the aftermath of the attack.
More than 550 rioters have been arrested and charged with crimes. Several dozen face counts for using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to a police officer.
