C-Span will conduct a series of interviews about the riots in the Capitol, interviewing 14 different members of Congress.
C-SPAN interviewed legislators on January 6th and told about their first-hand experience.
Fourteen members of Congress shared their stories that day.
These interviews will be aired every Sunday at 10 p.m. Eastern Time, starting on Sunday, July 25. https://t.co/zaUzHvsq6d pic.twitter.com/3vIqJxKtup
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 21, 2021
They actually want to lengthen it, like a TV show. I wonder if they have prepared one for Rep. Alexander Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and what she experienced in the office a quarter mile away?
The first clip I saw was an interview with Representative Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). He explained how he embraced the congressional policeman who shot Ashley Babbitt and told him that he “did what he had to do.”
.@RepMullin Regarding the policeman who shot and killed a woman in the Capitol on January 6: “He came over after the incident. He was exhausted physically and mentally. I actually gave him a hug and I said,’Sir, you did what you should do. of. ‘” pic.twitter.com/qSwZgilMS7
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 23, 2021
From a legal and factual point of view, there is a big problem with his statement that he “did what he had to do”. But part of the problem is that the information we provide is limited, because unlike all other police shooting incidents, the Capitol Police did not publish all the facts, they did not publish all the information or videos they had, and we could not hear the reasons why the police officers fired. They didn’t even tell us his name, although as I reported, when Congress official Timothy Blodgett mentioned Officer Byrd, he accidentally mentioned his name during the Zoom hearing. .Really clear investigation Confirm that he is Lieutenant Michael Bird.
From a legal point of view, generally speaking, when you look at the use of lethal force by a police officer, you will look at whether the police officer is facing threats to his life or the lives of others, or whether there is a risk of major bodily harm.The problem here is She did not threaten Cause physical harm to him or anyone else from the video we have. Yes, other people in the crowd elsewhere. But the interesting thing here is that when the three policemen stood there blocking the door, the policeman was not attacked (although people were smashing glass and breaking things), but she did not attack anyone or even break anything. You can hear people yelling that they don’t want to hurt anyone they just want to enter. So when he shot her, the only obvious crime might be illegal entry, which is basically illegal trespass, which is a misdemeanor. How do we know if she is a threat to him? Well, we can judge by how she treats other officers. Another congressional official stood near her against the wall. She didn’t bother him either.
It’s totally unclear that the police officer warned her that he would open fire. I can’t hear it in the video, but everyone else is yelling. He may have. But if I didn’t hear it, maybe she didn’t hear it, even if he really yelled. But I did not hear it in the video. No one seems to question why no less than lethal force was used.
But this is probably the most important point-when I look at it, I find it very troublesome. Because in fact, killing AshliBabbitt is so unnecessary, no, he “didn’t do what he was supposed to do”. Why? Because almost two seconds after she was hit and fell back to the floor, you can see a tactical officer behind her reaching out to her. what does that mean? This means that when the three police officers leave the door of the speaker hall, they may have done so after members have cleared the area. They were told that they could leave, which is why they left. Tactical officials are walking up the stairs, presumably to take their place and stop the protesters. If Bird only waited a few seconds, they would be there. You can see it on the video.
