The Capitol Police officer who shot and killed demonstrator Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6, 2021, was housed for six months in a suite at a military base, Air Force records show.
Documents obtained by Judicial Watch show that U.S. Capitol Police paid for a suite to house Lt. Michael Byrd and a "pet" for six months in the Presidential Inn at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland from July 2021 to January 2022.
The suite, which cost thousands of dollars, normally is reserved for top brass at the base, according to the records.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told the Washington Examiner that he was surprised Byrd was housed at taxpayer expense at the base.
"How in Lord's name does the Defense Department get involved in providing security?" Fitton said, the Examiner reported. "So now the Defense Department is at the beck and call to help manage someone involved in a police shooting? It’s crazy."
The Capitol Police paid the bill every 10 days by phone, according to an email included in the set of records.
Initially housed in a "Temporary Lodging Facility," Byrd later moved to a more expensive "Distinguished Visitor Suite."
Byrd told NBC News in August, 2021, that he shot the unarmed Babbitt as an act of "last resort" during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol.
He spoke three days after an internal Capitol Police investigation found no wrongdoing by Byrd in the shooting.
Although he did not face any charges in the killing, Byrd revealed that he had been threatened for his actions.
Judicial Watch released 31 pages of documents in a release of Jan. 6-related information the watchdog group uncovered.
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