GOP Rep. Paul Gosar said police 'executed' Ashli Babbitt during Capitol riot

Gosar also accused the Justice Department of "harassing peaceful patriots."

Published: May 14, 2021 7:37am

Updated: May 14, 2021 12:35pm

GOP Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar said in a congressional hearing that Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was fatally shot by police during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was "executed."

Gosar made the comment Wednesday during a hearing by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs Committee during which he asked former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen if he remembered Babbitt, whom Gosar described as "a veteran wrapped in an American flag."

"As the death certificate says, it was a homicide. Who executed Ashli Babbitt?" Gosar asked Rosen.

Rosen declined to comment, according to The Hill.

A medical examiner's report classified the death as a homicide. The name of the U.S. Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Babbitt has yet to be released. 

The Justice Department said last month it would not file charges against the officer and that Babbitt's civil rights had not been violated.

Babbitt, an 35-year-old Air Force veteran, was fatally shot as she attempted to climb through a broken window of a door the leads to the Speaker's Lobby, just off the House Chamber. 

Gosar also accused the Justice Department of "harassing peaceful patriots across the country," particularly Trump supporters.

More than 400 people have been arrested in connection with the riot. 

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