Michael Byrd was just standing his ground.
Byrd, the police lieutenant who shot Ashli Babbit during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, on Thursday stepped forward into the spotlight. "I know that day I saved countless lives," Byrd said in an interview with NBC News. "I know members of Congress, as well as my fellow officers and staff, were in jeopardy and in serious danger. And that's my job." Law enforcement officials apparently agree: The Justice Department declined to pursue charges in April, and investigators with the Capitol Police said this week he will not be disciplined for Babbitt's death.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If there are double standards, though, they run both ways. We have the video to prove it.
Conservatives have long embraced the "broken windows" theory of policing, which suggests that the best way to reduce violent crime is to crack down on minor violations, the little signs of disorder that can lead to bigger problems for a community. When Byrd shot Babbitt, she was literally trying to climb through a window that had been shattered by one of her co-insurrectionists.
The tough-on-crime crowd has also enthusiastically backed state "stand your ground" laws, which allow individuals to commit violence in defense of themselves or their property — even if retreating might alleviate the need for conflict. Byrd, in this case, was protecting dozens of members of Congress: He had no place to retreat and no expectation the insurrectionists would become less violent once they got inside the glass doors where Babbitt was shot. Police who "reasonably fear" for their safety are usually given wide latitude in such cases.
Trumpist conservatives are not defending or lauding Byrd, though. They're mocking Capitol Police officers and turning Ashli Babbitt into a martyr. Unfortunately for Michael Byrd, he's the exception to the usual Republican embrace of law enforcement.
-
Out of office: microretirement is trending in the workplaceThe explainer Long vacations are the new way to beat burnout
-
Will California tax its billionaires?Talking Points Proposed one-time levy would shore up education, Medicaid
-
Blue Origin launches Mars probes in NASA debutSpeed Read The New Glenn rocket is carrying small twin spacecraft toward Mars as part of NASA’s Escapade mission
-
A free speech debate is raging over sign language at the White HouseTalking Points The administration has been accused of excluding deaf Americans from press briefings
-
Is Trump a lame duck president?Talking Points Republicans are considering a post-Trump future
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Nick Fuentes’ Groyper antisemitism is splitting the rightTalking Points Interview with Tucker Carlson draws conservative backlash
-
Is Mike Johnson rendering the House ‘irrelevant’?Talking Points Speaker has put the House on indefinite hiatus
-
Will Republicans kill the filibuster to end the shutdown?Talking Points GOP officials contemplate the ‘nuclear option’
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
Are inflatable costumes and naked bike rides helping or hurting ICE protests?Talking Points Trump administration efforts to portray Portland and Chicago as dystopian war zones have been met with dancing frogs, bare butts and a growing movement to mock MAGA doomsaying
