We are technically still fighting the Justice Department under President Trump for justice for Ashley Babbitt. This reminds me of something else the Trump administration needs to take action on, which is the shooting death of Ashley Babbitt, who was killed wrongfully. Many say she was murdered on January 6th, and Judicial Watch filed a $30 million wrongful death action lawsuit against the federal government. We represent her estate and her family, specifically Aaron Babbitt, her widower husband. And her mom, Mickey, is a fixture here in Washington, D.C. now. She’s been supportive of the January Sixers in honor of Ashley’s memory and to help them.

And she’s just a great, wonderful activist. And whenever I go to these, I can’t tell you how many events I go to on the Hill where activists are present and there’s public interest, that she and her friends and her activist friends are there showing the flag, quite literally, for Ashley and other victims of the Biden administration regime abuse that use January 6th as a pretext to go after their political opponents. So when I went to Cash Patel’s confirmation hearing, who do I see in the hallway? It shouldn’t have surprised me, was my friend, Mickey, and she came up to me in the hearing room.

She loves Judicial Watch. We love her as well. She’s a real warrior, and there’s a nice picture of her. And she said this nice thing about me and you, dear Judicial Watch supporter, Tom Fittin at the Cash Patel hearing. I’m of course, we are able to do that only thanks to the support of you, dear supporter. And we are honored to try to help get justice for Ashley Babbitt through this federal litigation that of course was opposed by the Biden Justice Department. Now, the big question is, is the Trump Justice Department, is President Trump going to take a different tact with Ashley’s case and essentially just resolve it on favorable terms to Ashley’s legacy and her family? And the Washington Examiner, Paul Bedard, who reported there, had a story on how that issue is now, at least in my view, ought to be front and center for the Trump administration.

And we did a video explaining it here. A week after President Trump pardoned those charged in the January 6th disturbance at the US Capitol, his administration is facing a new question, as noted in a report from the Washington Examiner. Will President Trump’s appointees continue the Biden administration’s legal efforts to deny justice to Ashley Babbitt’s family by fighting their $30 million wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government? Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from San Diego, was unarmed when she was shot and killed by then US Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd. Ashley Babbitt remains the only official homicide victim from January 6th.

Early last year, Judicial Watch filed a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of Ashley’s family and estate. In the lawsuit, Judicial Watch argues that Byrd was inadequately trained and had a record of disciplinary problems. Those disciplinary problems have largely been uncovered through Judicial Watch litigation. This includes a 2019 incident where Byrd left his loaded gun in the bathroom of the Capitol Visitor Center. And in a 2004 incident, Byrd discharged his service weapon at a fleeing vehicle. Byrd was caught providing false information to local police about the incident.

As the Washington Examiner reports, after Trump’s inauguration last week, he pardoned the rioters, including those who were with Babbitt when she was shot and killed after being pushed into the speaker’s lobby behind the house floor. That appears to put the Justice Department in a pickle. How does it turn away from its hundreds of cases and convictions but move forward in defending the shooting of Babbitt? Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said he can’t imagine that President Trump would want to defend this for one minute. Both the White House and the Justice Department have yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit.

US District Court Judge Anna Reyes scheduled a trial date of July 20, 2026. So we were supposed to have a hearing this week, but the Trump Justice Department asked that the hearing be canceled because at face value, we had just filed a brief asking the court to take judicial notice of Lt. Byrd’s special treatment despite disciplinary issues that had been disclosed by Congress recently, Congressman Lautermoek, that I talked about previously here, and how it could impact their efforts to dismiss part of our claims for Ashley. And so they just asked the court to cancel things so they could figure out what to do, and they don’t want a hearing scheduled yet at all.

So we’re not even supposed to get back on a scheduled hearing until we ask the court or give the court a status update at the end of February. But as of now, we are technically still fighting the Justice Department under President Trump for Justice for Ashley Babbitt. So I hope and pray that this ends and we can get it resolved. We’re prepared to go to trial. We want justice no matter what, but I can’t, I don’t, again, I’ll say it. I’ll say what I told the reporter. I can’t imagine President Trump for one minute is going to want to support the Justice Department doing anything to besmirch the memory of Ashley Babbitt.

So I’ll keep you updated as events warrant there. So let’s pray for a resolution under the new Trump administration. Thanks for watching. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button and like our video down below. [tr:trw].

See more of Judicial Watch on their Public Channel and the MPN Judicial Watch channel.