Watch live: White House holds press briefing to answer gun control questions
December 18, 2012
Please contact support@rawstory.com for customer support
or to update your subscription.
Report typos and corrections to:
corrections@rawstory.com.
Stories Chosen For You
'Performative disgrace': Marjorie Taylor Greene mocked for defending Ashli Babbitt while misspelling her name
January 31, 2023
United States Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) claimed on Tuesday that the shooting death of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt was on par with the January 7th, 2023 murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis, Tennessee police officers. Greene tweeted a video of her address – with Babbitt's name misspelled.
"I do agree with you about Tyre Nichols' death. I watched the video, and it was tragic and extremely difficult to watch. I would also like to point out that that city is Democrat-controlled and the five officers that have been arrested and charged are Black. And I think that this isn't an issue of racism or anything like that. I think that the judge and the jury in the trial needs to work out what happened there. But I share that with you," Greene began.
"But I'd like to also point something that I'd hope you share with me," Greene continued. "There's a woman in this room whose daughter was murdered on January 6th. Ashley Babbitt. And Ashley 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. January 6th Committee didn't address it."
The Capitol Police conducted an investigation and concluded that Babbitt's killing was justified given the circumstances.
Greene then declared that insurrection defendants – who are either awaiting trial or have already been convicted – are being mistreated.
"I believe that there are many people that came into the Capitol on January 6th whose civil rights and liberties are being violated heavily. And this committee will, I hope, Mr. Chairman, look into those civil rights abuses, because they're happening in a jail right here in this city. And I hope Ms. Norton will care about that as well, as well as jails across the country. I've been in that jail. And it's not just the January 6th defendants' pretrial, by the way. It's many of the inmates in there living in horrific conditions. So I think that's something that you and I can care about," she said.
"Will the gentle lady yield just for a moment?" a representative asked.
"No, I will not yield," Greene replied. "But I would like to say and point out that civil rights and liberties are important, but we have to make sure that we crack down on the two-tier justice system, because that needs to end. I yield back the remainder of my time."
Social media observers responded to Greene's remarks.
Luke Zaleski: [Former President Donald] "Trump’s lies killed Ashli Babbitt. Shooting her stopped the coup attempt and protected congress and the sovereignty of the United States and the peaceful transfer of power."
Chidi: "Yes, there is a clear difference, one was stopped for no reason, and he complied but was beaten to death. The other was a domestic terrorist who tried to break into the Capitol chambers to harm people. She refused to comply and was shot to death."
Mike Harvey: "You’re right. Tyre wasn’t committing a crime, according to the Memphis Police Dept. Ashli participated in a massive effort to overturn an election, according to the Capitol Police Dept. Facts, not opinion."
The Fact Checker: "Fact Checking: Conclusion: Agreed. Ashley Babbitt was shot by Capitol Police during the commission of a violent crime despite numerous warnings there was a gun trained on her. Tyre Nichols was murdered. Fact Check Completed."
OnTheFritz: "The difference is very clear; Ashli Babbit was committing a crime when she was killed by police and Tyre Nichols was not."
Eric Johnston: "Yes, there is a clear difference between the two. One was a domestic terrorist, and the other wasn’t."
Stella: "Yup. Ashli was a terrorist who stormed the Capitol, because Trump sent her there to fight his fight. Tyre was a victim of police brutality."
MaximillianPotter: "This performative disgrace to Congress can’t even spell the name of the anti-democratic seditionist she allegedly cares so much about. It’s Babbitt. Greene doesn’t even take 2 seconds to look up how to spell the name before she pushes out a show-tweet."
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Alec Baldwin was formally charged Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter over the accidental shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the low-budget western "Rust."
Baldwin was holding the Colt .45 during rehearsals for the film when it discharged, killing Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.
New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies had already announced earlier this month that there was sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against the veteran US actor.
"Today we have taken another important step in securing justice for Halyna Hutchins," Carmack-Altwies said Tuesday.
"In New Mexico, no one is above the law and justice will be served."
The film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for the weapon, was also formally charged Tuesday with the same crime.
If convicted, they both face up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine, but a firearm enhancement to the charge could take that sentence to five years.
Former "30 Rock" star Baldwin has repeatedly said he was told by the crew that the gun was not loaded, and that he did not pull the trigger.
Baldwin's attorney Luke Nikas has vowed to beat the charge, which he called a "terrible miscarriage of justice."
Lawyers for Gutierrez-Reed said Tuesday that prosecutors had "completely misunderstood the facts" and had "reached the wrong conclusions."
"We will fight these charges and expect that a jury will find Hannah not guilty," said Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion.
Separately, "Rust" assistant director Dave Halls, who handed Baldwin the weapon and told him it was "cold" -- industry speak for safe -- pleaded no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon.
His plea agreement will be made public after a judge's approval.
Baldwin, a co-producer of the movie, and Gutierrez-Reed have both been charged with two alternative counts of manslaughter, each involving different levels of negligence.
Both counts entail a maximum 18-month jail term, but one of them -- involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act -- includes an added mandatory penalty of five years' jail because a gun was involved in the death.
New Mexico prosecutors will summon the accused to appear in court within a month of Tuesday's filing.
CONTINUE READING
Show less
An identity thief racked up hundreds of dollars in Apple purchases on the campaign card of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday.
"The committee discovered a series of charges on the campaign card that they believe to be fraudulent, and disputed these changes with the card provider," said the filing for Friends of Matt Gaetz. "The committee will properly report the reversed charges when they are credited back to the card."
The campaign filing doesn't reveal exactly what the thief spent the money on. However, the payments, dated from November 26 to December 6, are all with Apple, and total up to $362.04.
This is not the first time that thieves have targeted a congressional campaign.
IN OTHER NEWS: GOP lawmaker fumes after Maxine Waters turns the tables on him at House hearing
Earlier this month, reports indicated that cyberthieves made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars from the campaign account of Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), and that the FBI is investigating the matter.
And earlier this week, another report found that the campaign of Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) lost $11,000 to an "external check fraud situation," and Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) reported seven fraudulent withdrawals from his campaign account to the FEC.
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Copyright © 2023 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | Masthead | Privacy Policy | For corrections or concerns, please email corrections@rawstory.com.
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}