Shortly after he shot and killed Ashli Babbitt inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd was promoted to captain. With the promotion came a $200,000 per year salary.
So, will Byrd now pay off the $56,365.71 he has owed the IRS since 2019?
The IRS has a substantial number of new agents. Will one go after Byrd?
It may all come down to checking the right boxes.
Susan Daniels, a licensed private investigator for 30 years who uncovered Barack Obama’s use of a stolen Social Security number, noted in a Dec. 13 op-ed for American Thinker that a recent call to Prince George’s County Courts in Maryland confirmed that Byrd's lien has not been paid.
"I stumbled across this tax deadbeat while working with author Jack Cashill in my role as a licensed private investigator. Although the court tax filing listed Byrd’s previous address, those crack IRS investigators should have found him as easily as I did. If they contact me, I’ll be happy to share his new address," Daniels wrote.
Byrd had "plenty of opportunity to save money" after he shot and killed Babbitt, Daniels noted.
"Documents obtained by Judicial Watch show that then Lieutenant Byrd and a pet stayed in a 'Distinguished Visitor Suite' at the Presidential Inn at Andrews Air Force Base from July 8, 2021, through January 28, 2022. While living off the largess of the taxpayers, Byrd also collected $122,000 through a GoFundMe account. Defendants accused in the Capitol riot turned to Christian sites to raise money for legal fees."
Related: Babbitt shooter was housed for more than 6 months at taxpayer expense at Joint Base Andrews, January 6, 2023
Daniels found that Byrd had filed two bankruptcies and two foreclosures. His 1999 Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharged all his debt. In 2009 Byrd filed for Chapter 13, which allows people to make payments on debts, but changed that to Chapter 7 to rid himself of those responsibilities. According to bankruptcy court documents, his income for 2009 was $142,144.
The Trustee’s Final Report showed Byrd paid $14,547 to clear debts of $1,237,680. "Lawyers will be relieved to know that the trustee got her $2,393 fee from that amount," Daniels wrote.
Byrd lost his house to the bank and the U.S. Senate Federal Credit Fund lost $20,555 for a car they financed. Despite foreclosures and bankruptcies, Byrd was able to purchase a $520,000 house in 2019.
It took seven months after he shot and killed Ashli Babbitt for Byrd to be identified as the shooter. Babbitt family attorney Terry Roberts said that if Byrd were white, instead of black he would have been identified immediately.
"Byrd told fellow officers the next day that he would be treated differently because of his rank as a lieutenant. And he was. He was not fired as he should have been," Fields wrote.
Alarms about Byrd's job performance had been raised before Jan. 6, 2021 as well, Daniels noted:
"In 2019 Byrd was the commander of the House Chambers section of the Capitol Police. He made news when he left his loaded firearm in a public visitor’s center bathroom. His Glock-22 had no manual safety to prevent unintended firing. That made the incident particularly concerning. The gun was discovered later in a routine check by another officer."
A photo from Jan. 6, 2021 shows Byrd waving his gun around in the House chamber before going into the lobby where he killed Babbitt. Lawyer Roberts, said: "If I was a congressman, I'd be very concerned about him carrying a gun around me.”
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