United States Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., claimed on Tuesday that the shooting death of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt was on par with the January 7th, 2023 murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis, Tennessee police officers. Greene tweeted a video of her address – with Babbitt's name misspelled.
"I do agree with you about Tyre Nichols' death. I watched the video, and it was tragic and extremely difficult to watch. I would also like to point out that that city is Democrat-controlled and the five officers that have been arrested and charged are Black. And I think that this isn't an issue of racism or anything like that. I think that the judge and the jury in the trial needs to work out what happened there. But I share that with you," Greene began.
"But I'd like to also point something that I'd hope you share with me," Greene continued. "There's a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on January 6th. Ashli Babbitt. And Ashli babbitt has, there's never been a trial. As a matter of fact, no one has cared about the person that shot and killed her. And no one in this Congress has really addressed that issue. January 6th Committee didn't address it."
The Capitol Police conducted an investigation and concluded that Babbitt's killing was justified given the circumstances.
Greene then declared that insurrection defendants – who are either awaiting trial or have already been convicted – are being mistreated.
"I believe that there are many people that came into the Capitol on January 6th whose civil rights and liberties are being violated heavily. And this committee will, I hope, Mr. Chairman, look into those civil rights abuses, because they're happening in a jail right here in this city. And I hope Ms. Norton will care about that as well, as well as jails across the country. I've been in that jail. And it's not just the January 6th defendants' pretrial, by the way. It's many of the inmates in there living in horrific conditions. So I think that's something that you and I can care about," she said.
"Will the gentle lady yield just for a moment?" a representative asked.
"No, I will not yield," Greene replied. "But I would like to say and point out that civil rights and liberties are important, but we have to make sure that we crack down on the two-tier justice system, because that needs to end. I yield back the remainder of my time."
Social media observers responded to Greene's remarks.
Luke Zaleski: [Former President Donald] "Trump's lies killed Ashli Babbitt. Shooting her stopped the coup attempt and protected congress and the sovereignty of the United States and the peaceful transfer of power."
Chidi: "Yes, there is a clear difference, one was stopped for no reason, and he complied but was beaten to death. The other was a domestic terrorist who tried to break into the Capitol chambers to harm people. She refused to comply and was shot to death."
Mike Harvey: "You're right. Tyre wasn't committing a crime, according to the Memphis Police Dept. Ashli participated in a massive effort to overturn an election, according to the Capitol Police Dept. Facts, not opinion."
The Fact Checker: "Fact Checking: Conclusion: Agreed. Ashley Babbitt was shot by Capitol Police during the commission of a violent crime despite numerous warnings there was a gun trained on her. Tyre Nichols was murdered. Fact Check Completed."
OnTheFritz: "The difference is very clear; Ashli Babbit was committing a crime when she was killed by police and Tyre Nichols was not."
Eric Johnston: "Yes, there is a clear difference between the two. One was a domestic terrorist, and the other wasn't."
Stella: "Yup. Ashli was a terrorist who stormed the Capitol, because Trump sent her there to fight his fight. Tyre was a victim of police brutality."
MaximillianPotter: "This performative disgrace to Congress can't even spell the name of the anti-democratic seditionist she allegedly cares so much about. It's Babbitt. Greene doesn't even take 2 seconds to look up how to spell the name before she pushes out a show-tweet."
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