Mother of Ashli Babbitt meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
Washington — Micki Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was shot and killed by police as she tried to climb through a set of doors to the Speaker's Lobby on Jan. 6, 2021, met Thursday with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, in his Capitol office suite — steps away from where her daughter was shot.
McCarthy had little to say about the meeting to reporters, telling them only that "she requested the meeting."
Upon entering Capitol, Witthoeft told reporters she had questions for McCarthy and was "expecting good things" to come from her meeting with him.
But she also said she's not expecting McCarthy to join her and other House GOP members for a tour of the D.C. jail Friday, where some Jan. 6 defendants are being held in pretrial detention. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican of Georgia, is heading up the visit and will be joined by at least one or two Democrats.
Witthoeft has been leading nightly Jan. 6 protests outside the D.C. jail since Aug. 1. Organizer Nicole Reffitt estimates 5,000-8,000 people live stream the feed of the protest. The protests have drawn fierce and vocal counterdemonstrations and a substantial police presence of about 12-20 officers.
Earlier this month, Witthoeft met with a senior staff aide to the speaker and with House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer.
The U.S. Capitol Police conducted an internal investigation and determined in August 2021 that the officer who had fatally shot Babbitt during the Jan. 6 riot acted lawfully and within the department's policy, and the USCP concluded the officer "potentially saved members and staff from serious injury and possible death" as a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters breached the U.S. Capitol and forced their way to the House chamber.
Melissa Quinn contributed to this report.
