Gateway Pundit Article on Capitol Police Officer Michael Byrd Undergoes Significant Revisions

A controversial article from The Gateway Pundit about Lt. Michael Byrd, the U.S. Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, has undergone substantial revisions after initially making several misleading claims that continue to circulate on social media.

The original headline, which claimed Byrd “pocketed” $190 million in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funds for an “unaccredited” daycare center he allegedly operates from his Maryland home, has been modified multiple times as factual inconsistencies emerged.

Screenshots of the initial inflammatory headline continue to spread across social media platforms, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), where users share the outdated version without acknowledging the subsequent corrections.

The Gateway Pundit’s evolving treatment of the story reveals a pattern of significant backtracking. The initial bold claim that Byrd personally received $190 million has been walked back to acknowledge this figure actually represents the total federal childcare funding allocated to the entire state of Maryland, not to any single provider.

In its latest version, the article’s headline has been softened to: “Questions Grow as Lt. Michael Byrd, Who Shot Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6, Operates a Taxpayer-Funded Home Daycare as $190 Million in Federal Child Care Funds Flow to Maryland.” The publication also added an editor’s note clarifying that childcare accreditation is optional in Maryland and not required for state licensing.

Despite these corrections, the article continues to contain factual inaccuracies. It falsely claims that President Joe Biden pardoned Byrd before leaving office. A Reuters fact check from February 2025 confirmed that Byrd did not receive a presidential pardon. While Biden did issue clemency to members of the January 6 committee and officers who testified before it, Byrd was not interviewed by the committee and therefore was not covered by this action.

The article also persists in characterizing Babbitt’s shooting as occurring “in cold blood,” a legal term suggesting premeditated intent to commit murder. This characterization contradicts the Department of Justice’s official findings, which concluded there was “insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution” of Byrd in connection with Babbitt’s death.

The incident in question took place during the Capitol riot when Babbitt attempted to climb through a broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby, where members of Congress were being evacuated. Byrd, who was positioned on the other side of the door to protect lawmakers, fired a single fatal shot.

Media ethics experts note that such significant revisions to published stories without prominent correction notices can contribute to the spread of misinformation, as original versions continue to circulate without context.

The Gateway Pundit, a right-wing website founded by Jim Hoft, has previously faced criticism and legal challenges for publishing unverified or false information. The site has been cited in numerous fact-checks and has been involved in defamation lawsuits related to its coverage of various political events.

This episode highlights the challenges of information integrity in the digital age, where initial claims—even when later corrected—can continue to shape public perception long after publishers have revised their content.