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- Ashli Babbitt was killed by police on January 6 while participating in the riot at the Capitol.
- Trump praised Babbitt, calling her "incredible" and asking for more answers about her death.
- Trump also suggested, without citing evidence, that a top Democrat was involved.
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Former President Donald Trump praised Ashli Babbitt, the Capitol rioter who was killed by police on January 6, and suggested, without citing evidence, that a high-level Democrat may have been involved.
Speaking by phone Sunday on Fox News, Trump was asked by host Maria Bartiromo about the Capitol attack, when a pro-Trump mob breached the building and forced lawmakers to evacuate. Babbitt was among the group that illegally entered the building.
"Who shot Ashli Babbitt? Why are they keeping that secret?" Trump asked. "Who was the person that shot an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman, a military woman?"
Babbitt was with a group of rioters trying to break down the barricaded door to the Speaker's Lobby, which would have given them access to the House chamber and put them within yards of lawmakers who were trying to evacuate.
She was shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through a broken window into the lobby. The incident was captured on video.
The Justice Department cleared the officer of wrongdoing, concluding he had acted in defense of other officers and members of Congress. The investigation was closed without charging or identifying the officer publicly.
Bartiromo also praised Babbitt and said her family wanted answers about "why this wonderful woman, young woman, who went to peaceful protest, was shot." She then said, without citing evidence, that the security detail of a "leading member of Congress" may have been involved.
"I've heard also that it was the head of security for a certain high official, a Democrat," Trump said. "And we'll see, because it's going to come out."
Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was 35 when she died, was a staunch Trump supporter and proponent of the QAnon conspiracy theory, as displayed in social media posts she made leading up to the Capitol attack.
"Nothing will stop us," she tweeted on January 5. "They can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours….dark to light!"
She also retweeted a post saying Vice President Mike Pence should be charged with treason. Pence was a supposed target on January 6, with some rioters captured on video chanting "hang Mike Pence."
Babbitt shared many posts that featured QAnon slogans and theories, including some that said Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and other high-profile politicians were engaged in pedophilia.