Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump's Campaign Manager Made A Devastating Admission About Trump's 'Rhetoric' In Post-1/6 Text Message

Trump's Campaign Manager Made A Devastating Admission About Trump's 'Rhetoric' In Post-1/6 Text Message
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection revealed private texts from former Republican President Donald Trump's ex-campaign manager Brad Parscale in which he admitted Trump's “rhetoric killed someone."

In the days after the attack—which took place after a White nationalist led mob of Trump's supporters attacked the United States Capitol on the false premise the 2020 general election was stolen—Parscale texted former Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson telling her Trump was a "sitting President asking for civil war" and "I feel guilty for helping him win.”


When Pierson told Parscale he had only been doing "what you felt was right at the time and therefore it was right," Parscale noted "a woman is dead"—a reference to insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt who was killed by a law enforcement officer as she attempted to climb through the broken windows of the House Speaker's Lobby to gain access to members of Congress sheltering in the House chamber.

Pierson disagreed, telling Parscale it "wasn’t the rhetoric" that got Babbitt killed, but Parscale was firm that "Yes it was."

You can read the texts below.

Parscale's admission was a tacit acknowledgment of the consequences of Trump's behavior, which culminated in a violent insurrection that left at least five people dead and resulted in over 100 injuries to law enforcement as well as millions of dollars in damages.

And for many, it was the most glaring evidence yet of Trump's intent to overthrow the nation's seat of government and a sign the attack was a wakeup call for even his most ardent supporters.




Babbitt spent fourteen years in the United States Air Force before she became radicalized by the QAnon conspiracy theory which alleges Democrats are part of a Satan-worshipping, baby eating global pedophile ring that conspired against Trump during his time in office.

She also used her social media accounts to promote calls for a violent uprising that would lead to Trump's second inauguration.

Lieutenant Michael Byrd—the member of the U.S. Capitol Police who shot and killed Babbitt when she attempted to breach the House chamber—recalled yelling for rioters to back away from the doors.

Then in a moment captured on video, he fired a single shot that struck Babbitt in the shoulder. She would later die of her injuries.

In an August 2021 interview with NBC News conducted after he gave the news outlet permission to identify him when authorities declined to do so, he said he only fired his gun as a "last resort."

The DOJ ultimately cleared Byrd of wrongdoing and closed the investigation, noting in a press release the investigation found no evidence Byrd fired his gun without believing it had been "necessary" to do so "in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber."

More from People/donald-trump

Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Ethan Hawke Shares Important Lesson He Learned From Robin Williams On Set Of 'Dead Poets Society'

Actor Ethan Hawke has become a Hollywood legend in his own right, but his career started with being a child actor learning from the greats, like Robin Williams.

The two co-starred in Dead Poets Society, one of the greatest films of the 1980s. It was a breakout role for Hawke and one that solidified Williams as a dramatic actor after a career mostly focused on comedy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Screenshot of California's statement
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; cdss.ca.gov

Blue States Are Taking A Page Out Of Trump's Playbook With Alerts About SNAP Benefits

President Donald Trump and his administration are facing criticism as blue states post alerts about the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as a result of the Trump administration's failure to spend contingency funds to feed people on the program, a decision that is resulting in a nationwide hunger crisis impacting millions of families.

State officials have announced plans to inform visitors that if they’re alarmed by the pause in SNAP benefits beginning November 1 due to the shutdown, they should direct their frustration at the Republican Party.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo of a female hand holding up a pink paper heart that is on fire.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Signs A Relationship Is Over Even If The Couple Hasn't Broken Up Yet

Love is a many-splendored thing... until it's not.

Not all love stories have a happy ending.

Keep ReadingShow less
Morgan Freeman; Diane Keaton
Arnold Jerocki/WireImage/Getty Images; Pierre Suu/Getty Images

Morgan Freeman Reacts To Learning Diane Keaton Said He Was Her All-Time Favorite On-Screen Kiss

On Thursday, veteran actor Morgan Freeman was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the host had news to share with the Oscar winner.

The late actress Diane Keaton named Freeman as her favorite on-screen kiss. The pair starred as a long-married couple in the 2014 film 5 Flights Up.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Marjorie Taylor Greene
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Ted Cruz Slams Marjorie Taylor Greene For Becoming 'Very Liberal'—And People Can Not

Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz criticized his GOP colleague, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, for being "too liberal" after she criticized their fellow Republicans over wages and healthcare amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Cruz specifically cited Greene’s criticism of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and noted that, back in July, she became the first Republican in Congress to describe the crisis in Gaza as a “genocide.”

Keep ReadingShow less