Settlement Agreement for Capitol Shooting Incident

The Trump administration has reportedly settled with the family of a woman shot by police during the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, with a payout close to $5 million, according to a Monday report by The Washington Post.

Ashli Babbitt, who was 35, was shot while attempting to enter through a window leading to the House Speaker’s lobby amidst the chaos caused by Donald Trump supporters aiming to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

Last year, Babbitt’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking $30 million. Although the trial was approaching, the situation shifted after Trump won the November 2024 election, prompting the U.S. Department of Justice to step in and initiate settlement discussions.

Sources familiar with the matter indicated that an agreement has been reached, resulting in the aforementioned amount being paid to Babbitt’s family.

The Capitol police officers involved in the shooting have faced no criminal consequences. Trump has consistently expressed that the shooting was unjust, referring to Babbitt as an “innocent” individual.

Some supporters labeled Babbitt as a “martyr,” while her case was represented in wrongful death lawsuits by a conservative organization.

On his first day in office, Trump also granted pardons to over 1,500 individuals connected to the Capitol attack, which aimed to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.

This violent event, which led to injuries for more than 140 police officers, followed a contentious speech by Trump, in which he reiterated false claims about winning the 2020 election to a large crowd gathered near the White House.

He went on to encourage the attendees to march to Congress.