The police officer who shot and killed Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt will reveal his identity in a Lester Holt interview
- The Capitol police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt will reveal his identity in an NBC interview on Thursday.
- The officer fatally shot Babbitt as she tried to enter the Speaker's Lobby during the Capitol riot. He was not charged in the shooting.
- Donald Trump and his allies have tried to make Babbitt into a martyr.
The Capitol Police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt during the January 6 riot at the US Capitol will reveal his identity in an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt airing Thursday.
"Speaking out and revealing his identity publicly for the first time, the officer will share his perspective on the events of that day, including the aftermath of the deadly insurrection and the threats he has received," NBC News said in a press release announcing the upcoming interview.
The interview with air Thursday night at 6:30pm E.T. on "NBC Nightly News," which is anchored by Holt. Other portions of the officer's interview will air on other NBC News platforms, including on "TODAY" and on MSNBC.
He was formally exonerated of wrongdoing in Babbitt's killing following an internal investigation, NBC News previously reported.
Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was the only rioter killed by police on January 6, was shot as she tried to climb through a shattered window in front of the Speaker's Lobby. Lawmakers were fleeing from the building just steps away.
"Nothing will stop us," Babbitt 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 was an apparent follower of the Q-Anon conspiracy theory and often tweeted threatening messages about Democratic politicians. In the months since her death, former President Trump has sought to make a martyr out of Babbitt.
"Who shot Ashli Babbitt? Why are they keeping that secret?" Trump asked in a phone interview with Fox News in July. "Who was the person that shot an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman, a military woman?"
Trump also baselessly suggested that a Democratic official may have been connected to her death. "I've heard also that it was the head of security for a certain high official, a Democrat," he said. "And we'll see, because it's going to come out."