McCarthy Breaks From Taylor-Greene On Death Of Jan 6 Rioter Ashli Babbitt

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy broke with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Thursday when asked about the death of Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by Capitol police during the attack.

"I think the police officer did his job," McCarthy told reporters when asked if he agreed with Greene that Babbitt was murdered.

McCarthy's comments come on the heels of Greene casting Babbitt's death as "murder" during a meeting of the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday. Greene compared Babbitt's case with that of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died after being beaten by officers in Memphis.

When another representative invoked Nichols's case when calling for restoring the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Greene responded, first acknowledging the video of Nichols's arrest to be "tragic and extremely difficult to watch" before turning her attention to Babbitt.

"I think that the judge and the jury and the trial needs to work out what happened there, but I share that with you," Greene said of the Nichols case, adding "but I'd like to also point something that I'd hope you share with me."

"There's a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on Jan. 6, 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," she added.

Greene tweeted footage of her statement, misspelling Babbitt's name:

Capitol Police in August 2021 announced that the officer who shot Babbitt would not face internal discipline following an investigation.

"USCP's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) determined the officer's conduct was lawful and within Department policy, which says an officer may use deadly force only when the officer reasonably believes that action is in the defense of human life, including the officer's own life, or in the defense of any person in immediate danger of serious physical injury," the department wrote in a statement.

Last week, authorities dropped charges filed against Babbitt's mother, Micki Witthoeft, after she illegally blocked traffic and disobeyed an order from police on the two-year anniversary of the Capitol riot.

Former President Donald Trump also weighed in late on Thursday, criticizing McCarthy for his assessment, while calling the officer in question a "THUG" and adding: "ASHLI BABBITT WAS MURDERED!!!"

The relationship between Greene and McCarthy has evolved in recent months, with the Georgia Republican becoming one of the GOP leader's staunchest supporters. Following her support of McCarthy's speakership bid, which impacted her relationships with fellow right-wing representatives, McCarthy elevated the firebrand lawmaker in the GOP conference.

After receiving the nomination, McCarthy told a friend in January: "I will never leave that woman," according to The New York Times. "I will always take care of her," he added.

After Greene was stripped of her committee assignments in 2021 as punishment for embracing conspiracy theories, McCarthy sought to reward her for her support. That included placing her on the powerful House Oversight and Homeland Security Committees.