Trump declares January 6 insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt a martyr of

On Sunday, former US president Donald Trump continued his efforts to cultivate and grow his fascist movement by delivering a video eulogy for his deceased foot-soldier, Ashli Babbitt.

In a pre-recorded video that was played at a sparsely attended event in Freeport, Texas celebrating what would have been Babbitt’s 36th birthday, Trump offered his “unwavering support” to the family of Babbitt and called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reopen its investigation into her death.

Trump said it was a “great honor to address each of you gathered today” and that Babbitt, an adherent of the far-right anti-Semitic QAnon conspiracy theory and ardent supporter of Trump and the “Stop the Steal” movement, was “a truly incredible person.”

Trump, presenting the insurrectionist as a patriotic soldier, glorified Babbitt’s military service: “She defended our nation overseas including in Iraq to fight in the War on Terror.”

In a complete whitewash of the events of January 6, Trump said: “On that horrible day of January 6, Ashli arrived at the United States Capitol, innocent, she was shot and tragically killed. There was no reason Ashli should have lost her life that day.” He added, “We must all demand justice for Ashli and her family.”

As a point of fact, Babbitt did not just “arrive” at the Capitol. A self-described libertarian and QAnon follower, she had written on January 5, “Nothing will stop us. They can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours … dark to light!”

“The storm” is a reference to the QAnon perspective that Donald Trump was sent by God to exterminate Democrats and other political opponents, and that members of the cult would take part in that physical settling of accounts. She then flew across the country from California to Washington D.C. to join in the effort to keep Trump in the White House regardless of the results of the election.

As to her “innocence,” there is no doubt Babbitt committed multiple crimes, including criminal trespassing and interference with Congress in the performance of its constitutional duties, and only her death prevented her from participating in much bloodier crimes. Babbitt was shot as she was attempting to climb through a broken window into the Speakers Lobby where dozens of lawmakers and their staff were hiding from the far-right mob of militia members, neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

Babbitt was engaged in a tactic employed several times by members of the attacking force, breaking through a window adjacent to a barred door, then opening the door from the inside. If successful, she would have let the mob through. It was the last door separating the crowd of Trump supporters from the members of the House of Representatives and their staff, who were seeking to escape to safety through the rear of the House chamber.

There is no doubt the aims of the…