Dem
47
GOP
53
The name Ashli Babbitt will presumably ring a bell for readers; she's the woman who participated in the 1/6 Insurrection, and was among the people who breached the Capitol. As she moved forward into the Speaker's Lobby, the Capitol Police perceived her as a threat to then-VP Mike Pence. They told her, several times, to back off. When she chose to keep moving forward instead, they opened fire and killed her. Following a pair of investigations, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Capitol Police cleared the responsible officer of any wrongdoing.
Is there any world in which Babbitt is NOT a criminal, one who paid the ultimate price for her illegal acts (and for ignoring the commands of law enforcement officials who were armed to the teeth)? The answer is: Yes, there is such a world, namely TrumpWorld. Babbitt's family filed a $30 million wrongful death suit against the federal government and the Department of Justice decided to settle for $5 million.
It is inconceivable that settling the suit makes good sense from a defense standpoint. Babbitt's family had zero chance of prevailing, and the cost of defending the lawsuit would have been far less than $5 million. However, it makes excellent sense from a corrupt standpoint. By pardoning the 1/6 insurrectionists, and writing a fat check to the family of the insurrectionist who got killed, Donald Trump sends the message to the violent elements in his base, like Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes: "I've got your back." That message may not be truthful, mind you—Trump has many times backtracked on commitments of this sort, both political and economic. But as long as the MAGA faithful think they have legal armor, they might well be persuaded to do Trump's illegal and/or violent bidding, should it come to that.
Meanwhile, just yesterday, we suggested that someone should punch J.D. Vance in the face. If threatening Mike Pence's life is worth $5 million, then that's gotta be good for at least $1 million, right? (Z)