Ashli Babbitt
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| “ | Nothing will stop us. They can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending on DC in less than 24 hours. | „ |
| ~ Ashli Babbitt on Twitter shortly before storming the Capitol. |
Ashli Elizabeth Babbitt (née Witthoeft), AKA CommonSenseAsh, (October 10, 1985-January 6, 2021) was an American air force veteran and QAnon adherent who was killed while participating in the 2021 United States Capitol storming.
Biography edit
Babbitt, a veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, was a vocal supporter of outgoing US president Donald Trump. On Twitter she echoed Trump's unsubstantiated claims that victory in the 2020 election was stolen from him through voter fraud, and expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory.
On 6 January 2021, Babbitt announced on Twitter that a "storm" was descending on DC within 24 hours. Soon after, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building, where Congress were about to certify Joe Biden's victory. Babbitt was among the mob, with an American flag draped over her shoulders. She and several dozen fellow rioters massed in a corridor outside the Speaker's Lobby, where a number of lawmakers were sheltering from the mob. Seeing three police officers guarding the Lobby, the rioters began making threats and chanting "Fuck the blue!" until the officers retreated in fear of their lives. One rioter, Zachary Jordan Alam, smashed the window to the Lobby with a fire extinguisher and Babbitt, assisted by two others, attempted to climb through to attack the lawmakers inside. Several police officers ordered her to back off; when she continued to advance, Lieutenant Michael Byrd shot her in the neck. She was transferred to Washington Hospital Centre, where she died. The shooting, which was ruled justified, was recorded in a widely circulated video taken by rioter John Earle Sullivan.
Trivia edit
- Although most rioters were staunch Republicans, Babbitt was a Democrat who had previously voted for Barack Obama but supported Trump because she opposed his rival Hillary Clinton.
- According to the New York Post, Babbitt and her husband Aaron were in a throuple with a barmaid named Kayla Joyce.
- In the Daily Mail, Babbitt's brother Andrew Witthoeft claimed that his sister welcomed all Americans "regardless of your race, your ethnicity or your beliefs." However, the Daily Mail also reported that Babbitt once rammed her SUV into the Ford Explorer of Celeste Norris after having an affair with Norris' then boyfriend and Babbitt's future husband, Aaron Babbitt.
- According to the Los Angeles Times, Babbitt's other brother Roger Stefan Witthoeft Jr. was arrested after attacking and hurling racial slurs at a utility worker.
- Babbitt's mother, Micki Witthoeft, spoke at a Trump rally in July 2021, affirming his support for him and falsely claiming the election was stolen.