Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney accused one of her colleagues of lying after he said Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt was "executed" by Capitol police during the January 6 insurrection.
Fellow GOP Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona demanded to know why the FBI was not releasing the name of the officer who shot Babbitt. Gosar insisted the police officer was "lying in wait" to kill her when Babbitt and other violent insurrectionists tried to break through a pair of closed doors leading to the House Speaker's lobby.
"It's disturbing. The Capitol Police officer that did that shooting appeared to be hiding, lying in wait and then gave no warning before killing her."
This is the second time Gosar has claimed Babbitt was executed during a hearing.
During another hearing in May, Gosar said:
"Do you recall the name of the young lady, a veteran wrapped in an American flag, who was killed in the U.S. Capitol? As the death certificate says, it was a homicide. Who executed Ashli Babbitt?"
The Department of Justice announced in April no charges against the unnamed officer would be pursued.
"The investigation revealed no evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully committed a violation [of federal civil rights statute]."
Cheney, who was also present during the January 6 riots, called Gosar's comments about Capitol police "disgusting and despicable" in a tweet on Wednesday.
"On January 6, as the violent mob advanced on the House chamber, I was standing near him and helped him open his gas mask. The Capitol Police led us to safety. It is disgusting and despicable to see Gosar lie about that day and smear the men and women who defended us."
Twitter users chimed in with their own criticisms of Gosar's words and actions.
Some noted Gosar was parroting Russian President Vladimir Putin's own anti-United States rhetoric.
Gosar was also among the 21 Republicans who voted against awarding Congressional Gold Medals to the Capitol police officers who protected them during the riots.
Rioters were responsible for the death of one Capitol police officer and the injuries of dozens of other law enforcement personnel.
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