Aaron Babbitt, the husband of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot to death by a U.S. Capitol Police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, told Newsmax his goal is to keep his wife's name before the American public a year after her death in the Capitol building.
"I woke up this morning much like I woke up Jan. 7 of 2021, the day after Ashli's death,'' Babbitt said Thursday on "Greg Kelly Reports." "It still feels the same. I stayed busy with my full-time day job. And then my full-time Ashli job, so I've had a lot to keep me occupied today."
His "Ashli job," he explained, is not letting the public forget about his wife, the 35-year-old Air Force veteran who was the only person to die on the scene of the attacks in the Capitol building that day, though other deaths, including those of some protesters outside the building and police officers who died later, were attributed to the events.
Over the past several months, many on the political right have pointed to Babbitt's case as evidence that the characterization of Jan. 6, 2021, as an "insurrection" in which the right did all the harm is grossly inaccurate.
Back in October 2021, former President Donald Trump recorded a video marking what would have been Ashli's 36th birthday. In it, he advocated for her and her family, saying he was offering his "unwavering support." Without delving into the specifics of her death, he said there "was no reason Ashli should have lost her life that day," according to an account by Forbes.
Trump also urged the Department of Justice to further investigate the case, which it closed last April after finding insufficient evidence in support of any criminal prosecution.
For his part, her husband said he never tires of talking about Ashli and does so every chance he gets.
"I love every opportunity I can to do so because that's what keeps her name above the surface," he said. "Ashli just loved life. ... There wasn't an obstacle that was over too big for her to get through and get to get over. She just loved the challenge."
Babbit said he is preparing a lawsuit against the government because he believes Ashli's shooting wasn't justified and that the officer who shot her, Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd, should be held accountable.
Newsmax's Jeffrey Rubin contributed to this report.
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