The Trump administration has reached a financial settlement “in principle” with the family of Ashli Babbitt, a member of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 who was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer guarding the House chamber.
Justice Department attorneys and lawyers for the Babbitt family confirmed the agreement in court Friday, saying they hoped to iron out specific language and sign the settlement within the next 30 days.
The terms of the settlement and the estimated payout are not yet public, and neither the Justice Department nor Babbitt family lawyers provided specifics during the hearing in U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes’ courtroom. They did not respond to requests for comment.
The impending payout to Babbitt’s family is likely to tear open lingering wounds on Capitol Hill, three months after President Donald Trump issued sweeping clemency to more than 1,000 people who stormed the Capitol. Babbitt was killed about 30 minutes after the mob entered the building. Three other Trump supporters died of natural causes amid the chaos and 140 police officers were wounded in the violence.
Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died after suffering a stroke the next day and several others died by suicide in the ensuing weeks and months.
The settlement news comes as the Justice Department has also argued in favor of refunding restitution payments made by some rioters — funds meant to cover damage caused to the Capitol — and shortly after Trump himself floated the notion of payments to rioters.
Meanwhile, members of Congress who fled the mob and several police officers injured during the attack are pursuing a lawsuit against Trump for his role in stoking the mob.
Trump, who made common cause with Jan. 6 rioters early in his reelection campaign, forged a close relationship with Babbitt’s mother, Micki Witthoeft, in recent years. She was a visible presence at the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. and at the Capitol during hearings related to Jan. 6 for much of the last four years.
Babbitt was among an early group of rioters that reached the doors of the Speaker’s Lobby, adjacent to the House chamber, while lawmakers were still evacuating. As members of the mob standing near Babbitt pounded on the doors and cracked glass window panes, outnumbered police officers stepped aside and ceded the hallway to the rioters. Moments later, Babbitt is seen on video attempting to enter the lobby through a shattered window.
That’s when Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd fired the fatal shot. Byrd was investigated and cleared by local and federal authorities.
