Cross Examination with Mark Curran July 4, 2023 (No.14) with Micki Whitthoeft, Mom of Ashli Babbitt

Mark Curran, and special co-host Patrick Kenneally, McHenry County, IL States Attorney, sat down this week with Micki Whitthoeft, the mother of U.S. Veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was unjustly and callously shot in close range by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd on January 6, 2021. Whitthoeft has been in DC for nearly a year praying every night with family and community members of the detainees who are being illegally and unconstitutionally detained in DC by bias Democrat U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, who has repeatedly abused his power and also kept exculpatory evidence from juries that involve video footage of those whom he has targeted with arrest and prosecution. Many prisoners have been treated poorly in the DC jails, denied medical treatment and denied, access to lawyers, as well as being denied visits by family and friends. We ask the Catholic community to pray for the detainees and their family members and for elected officials to do the right thing to see that justice is fair and that constitutional rights of detainees are not being deprived.Show more

Babbitt was the only person ever shot inside the Capitol, yet no thorough investigation was conducted of Byrd's actions that day, and even though Babbitt was not armed with any weapons nor did she pose a threat to anyone. Babbitt's family has filed a lawsuit against U.S. Capitol Police for wrongful death as a result of the wrongful and illegal shooting of their loved one.

The family of Ashli ​​Babbitt also is planning to sue the department and Michael Byrd, who is responsible for shooting her for. Babbitt was an Air Force veteran and loved her country dearly.

The Justice Department had announced that it would not pursue any charges against the officer. The department refused to prosecute the officer and they have not used any outside entities to conduct a thorough and fair investigation of Byrd.

The family maintains that there was no need to shoot her and this was unwarranted lethal force that was use. They believe it is a case of police misconduct and civil rights violation.

What is a “Section 1983” lawsuit? Section 1983 is part of the Civil Rights Act of 1871. This section allows citizens whose civil rights have been violated to file a civil lawsuit. They can take civil action against state or local officials like police, county sheriffs, deputies of the sheriff, prison guards, wardens etc. Section 1983 cannot be used for suing a private citizen who is not connected to the government. Also, the section cannot be used for filing a lawsuit against federal government employees.

Police misconduct and brutality

Abuse of police power by officials responsible for protecting the people is a very serious matter. The impact of police misconduct and brutality affects not only the victim but also their family. Any instances of police brutality, denial of civil rights and police misconduct challenges our Constitution. Some of the types of police misconduct that permits filing a lawsuit are:

Excessive use of force
False arrest
False imprisonment
Malicious prosecution
Illegal searches
Planting fake evidence
Unwarranted use of weapons

BIO Information on Host Mark Curran

Mark C. Curran Jr. is an American attorney who served as Sheriff of Lake County, Illinois from 2006 to 2018. He was the Republican nominee in the 2020 United States Senate election in Illinois. Curran graduated from Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in business from Spring Hill College, and a Juris Doctor from the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago-Kent College of Law. Curran attended law enforcement and leadership courses at Boston University and Northwestern University.

Curran began his career as a state prosecutor in Lake County in 1990, rising to Senior Felony Prosecutor. He then served as a prosecutor with the Illinois Attorney General from 1999 to 2002.

In 2002, Curran went into private practice, concentrating in civil and criminal litigation. Curran won the Democratic Party's primary election for the position of Sheriff of Lake County, Illinois on March 21, 2006, and won the general election for that position in November 2006, defeating incumbent Gary Del Re. In his elections and in his role as Sheriff, Curran has called for prison reform in Illinois, in which he includes a call for faith-based programming in prisons.

In August 2008, Curran made national news when he voluntarily spent a week in the Lake County Jail. On December 15, 2008, Curran announced that he was switching from the Democratic to Republican Party, calling his decision a "matter of conscience", stating that the scandals of Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich played a role in his decision.