While leftist politicians and mainstream media personalities determined to describe the Jan. 6, 2021, protest on Capitol Hill as an “insurrection” frequently play up the supposed violent intent of those who participated, the only death directly attributed to the actions of that day was that of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol police officer upon attempting to enter the House speaker’s lobby.

According to a new report by Judicial Watch, which is also pursuing a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Babbitt’s family, the FBI contemplated labeling her a terrorist just days after she was gunned down at the Capitol building.

Citing bureau documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request, the legal watchdog group found that the actions of the U.S. Air Force veteran were being scrutinized in the days after the protest, with a criminal investigation taking shape as of Jan. 14, 2021. 

In addition to looking for evidence of “potential violations of federal law,” the heavily redacted data uncovered by Judicial Watch found that investigators considered placing the deceased woman’s name on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist.

The bureau ultimately decided against it, writing that since “Babbitt is deceased,” the case for her inclusion in the database “is not being nominated.”

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton shared his outrage over the discovery, particularly in light of the decision not to charge Lt. Michael Byrd, the Capitol police officer who shot Babbitt, with a crime. 

.@JudicialWatch just uncovered how the FBI spent months investigating Ashli Babbitt AFTER she was killed. And Feds put her killer up in luxe suite on a military base for six months! https://t.co/pnrF13snRb

— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) April 11, 2024

“It is beyond belief that the Biden FBI gave Ashli Babbitt’s killer a free pass while engaging in a malicious months-long ‘criminal’ investigation of Babbitt herself,” he asserted.

The released FBI documents also included statements from an unnamed individual who knew Babbitt and said that she “followed the crowd and felt secure being amongst like-minded individuals” on the day of the protest. 

The individual went on to say that Babbitt’s “leadership nature may have taken hold when she attempted to enter a new room within the Capitol where she was shot” and “likely did not know the risk of passing through the window.”

Throwing cold water on any assertion that Babbitt was a terrorist, the individual concluded that she “would never ‘go after someone physically,’” according to the FBI document.