Ashli Babbitt’s family and Michael Flynn received big checks from the DOJ. Is it any wonder Jan 6. rioters are lining up for a slice of the pie?
Ashli Babbitt’s family filed a baseless lawsuit and received a generous check from Trump's DOJ.
Michael Flynn also filed a baseless lawsuit and also received a generous check from Trump's DOJ.
Is it any wonder why Jan. 6 rioters are lining up for their taxpayer-financed payoff?
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-31T14:55:27.903Z
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/eying-a-possible-payday-jan-6-rioters-file-civil-suit-seeking-millions-in-taxpayer-money
But as some Jan. 6 rioters ended up in court to face criminal charges, others headed to court for a very different reason. Politico reported:
Members of the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 are suing the federal government for tens of millions of dollars in damages, claiming that the ‘indiscriminate’ use of force by police officers repelling the attack caused them physical and emotional injuries.
The lawsuit, filed in Florida, takes aim at the conduct of Capitol Police and Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, whose outnumbered officers fended off the mob for hours while members of Congress fled.
This might seem like a twisted joke, but the civil litigation is quite real: A group of Jan. 6 rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol as part of an insurrectionist assault on American democracy. They faced resistance from law enforcement officers who protected the U.S. seat of government.
The rioters, unsatisfied with presidential pardons, now want a taxpayer-financed payoff for their troubles.....
It was almost a year ago, for example, that Trump’s Justice Department reached a settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, the Jan. 6 rioter who was fatally shot by a police officer during the attack on the U.S. Capitol. As part of the agreement, the Republican administration announced plans to pay roughly $5 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Babbitt’s relatives......
Last week, it happened again
. Former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn filed an equally outlandish civil suit, claiming wrongful prosecution in a case in which he had already pleaded guilty (twice) to the underlying charges. Trump’s Justice Department agreed to a settlement with him, too, reportedly worth $1.25 million.
With these developments in mind,
why wouldn’t Jan. 6 rioters line up for a slice of the pie? The president has already expressed an interest in giving them taxpayer money anyway, and their baseless civil suit offers a convenient vehicle for Trump to use the national treasury to reward some his most radical followers.
I’d put the odds of a generous settlement at around 100%.
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