The events that took place at the Capitol in January aren’t anything to be proud of.
The protesting element was just fine and dandy. There’s nothing ever wrong with protesting. But when that protesting turns violent, that’s a whole other story.
I honestly still do not know who started with the violence. Maybe it was Antifa, maybe it wasn’t, but ultimately it doesn’t matter because patriots did things they weren’t supposed to be doing.
We all have heard about the tragic death of Ashli Babbitt who was shot by an officer while trying to climb through the window of a doorway to get to the House chamber.
The officer who shot Ashli Babbitt said that he saw her backpack and that it played a role in the decision to fire his weapon.
According to the report, “He also told investigators he heard reports that pipe bombs had been found elsewhere in the area and worried that the rioters might be carrying explosives. Babbitt was wearing a backpack, which allegedly compounded his fears.
The lieutenant also said he believed his own life was in danger. it’s not clear why he decided to stand his ground rather than retreat and seek out reinforcements. Well-armed Secret Service agents were standing guard nearby in the House chamber.”
The police officer’s attorney also released the following statement:
“The officer, according to his account, could not see the three uniformed officers outside and did not know they were there – he only described seeing a hallway full of oncoming people. The three officers had no visible shields or riot gear – two of them were not even wearing hats.
According to the lieutenant’s account, he did not know who among the rioters, if anyone, was armed. nor could he see how far down the hall the crowd extended.
The lieutenant was also unaware, those briefed on his account said, that a tactical team from the Capitol Police was climbing the stairwell behind Ms. babbitt, intending to reinforce the area and clear out the rioters.”
So here’s the big question, what was in Babbitt’s backpack? Was there actually anything threatening in it? Did she have explosives or a weapon of some sort?
Nope. You know what was in the backpack? A sweater and a scarf.
Now, listen. This was a bad situation all around and nothing is going to happen to the officer, I’ll guarantee that. People were breaking through the doors and windows and she was climbing up to force her way in. I do think it is fair to say that to some degree the Capitol was under attack or that it could at least be perceived that way because there was nobody with knowledge of everyone’s intent or what they may have been carrying on them. There were people who were killed and beaten and it’s fair to assume that they posed a threat to the officer who fired and to anyone else in the area.