Rudy Giuliani calls the Capitol riot an 'unfortunate trespass' and claims there was a 'plot' behind the deadly shooting of Ashli Babbitt
- Rudy Giuliani said the Jan. 6 riot was an 'unfortunate trespass' during an interview with Newsmax TV on Monday
- He made the comments when he was asked about the shooting of Ashli Babbitt
- Her death triggered a string of conspiracy theories spread by Trump supporters
- Giuliani described the events of that day as a 'completely phony operation'
- And he claimed there was a 'plot' behind the killing of the USAF veteran as she tried to break through a barricaded door
Rudy Giuliani described the attack on the U.S. Capitol as an 'unfortunate trespass' in an interview on Monday, and claimed there was a plot behind the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt by a police officer.
The former mayor of New York echoed former President Trump and some senior Republicans in playing down the events of Jan. 6 and suggesting, without evidence, an effort to cover up the killing of Babbitt as she tried to force her way through a barricaded door.
In an interview with the right-wing Newsmax television station, he said: 'This was a completely phony operation.
'They tried to take this unfortunate trespass - which shouldn't have been done - and make it into an insurrection.
'Well, first of all, this is the only insurrection in which a shot wasn't fired.
'The only shot fired was the one shot by the police officer at an unarmed woman which they don't want to talk about. So there's a whole plot behind this.'
Rudy Giuliani played down the attack on the U.S. Capitol in an interview with Newsmax, describing it as an 'unfortunate trespass' and claiming that 'there's a while plot behind' the killing of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot dead during the riot
The Department of Justice decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the police officer who shot Babbitt, 35, a 14-year USAF veteran
Former President Trump has taken up the case of Babbitt's death. 'Who shot Ashli Babbitt? We all saw the hand. We saw the gun,' he said at his rally in Florida last weekend. 'You know, if that were on the other side, the person that did the shooting would be strung up and hung.'
Prosecutors have charged hundreds of people in 40 states with offenses related to the riot on Jan. 6, when Trump supporters marched on the U.S. Capitol
Giuliani, 77, remains one of Trump's most steadfast public supporters, even as a slew of books paints him in an unflattering light.
For his work pursuing unsuccessful lawsuits to overturn results of the 2020 election he has been suspended from practicing law in New York and Washington D.C.
He is among a string of Republicans which has tried to minimize what happened when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building.
And they have repeatedly raised questions about why no further action was taken against the officer who shot Babbitt, 35.
Last week Trump himself described the attack as an 'unfortunate event.'
And in a weekend interview he also suggested there was more to Babbitt's killing than a rioter shot by police as they tried to stop an angry mob invading a restricted area of Congress.
'Who was the person who shot an innocent, wonderful, incredible woman?'
'I will tell you, they know who shot Ashley Babbitt,' Trump told Fox Business presenter Maria Bartiromo.
'They're protecting that person. I've heard also that it was the head of security for a certain high official - a Democrat.'
Video of the shooting showed Babbitt, a 14-year U.S. Air Force veteran, at the head of a crowd trying to force their way through a barricaded door leading to an area where members of Congress were being helped to safety.
She was shot as she tried to climb through a broken window.
An investigation by the Department of Justice concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the officer responsible.
'Specifically, the investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber,' it said.
In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo violent rioters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol in Washington. The events led to Trump's second impeachment trial
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A new book suggests Trump's aides believed Giuliani was frequently drunk and that he was on the verge of senility.
Michael Wolff's 'Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump' suggests he regularly showed 'focus issues, memory problems,' and 'simple logic failures.'
An excerpt from another book, published in the Washington Post, describes how he shocked other aides by urging them to simply claim victory on election night.
'He was telling other guests that he had come up with a strategy for Trump and was trying to get into the president’s private quarters to tell him about it,' according to Carol D. Leonnig and Philip Rucker in their forthcoming book 'I Alone Can Fix It.'
'Some people thought Giuliani may have been drinking too much and suggested to [campaign manager Bill] Stepien that he go talk to the former New York mayor.'
His lobbying activities are also under investigation.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents seized electronic devices in a raid in April on his Manhattan home and office as part of an inquiry into whether he illegally lobbied on behalf of Ukrainian interests.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
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