Sears Pulls Controversial Ashli Babbitt 'Patriot' T-Shirt

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL — Following backlash on social media, retailers Sears and Kmart have stopped selling a controversial T-shirt referencing a woman fatally shot during the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. Sears, based in Hoffman Estates, apologized on Twitter for a shirt that labeled Ashli Babbitt an "American Patriot."

Babbitt was the lone rioter killed by police during the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran from San Diego, was fatally shot while attempting to breach a set of doors with other rioters in the U.S. Capitol.

During a presidential-style press conference Wednesday, former President Donald Trump said there was "no reason" for Babbitt to have been shot, reports the Washington Post.

Sears and Kmart are owned by Transformco, with corporate headquarters at 3333 Beverly Road, Hoffman Estates.

Aaron Rupar, a journalist at Vox, tweeted at Sears on Thursday regarding the T-shirt, and the company responded that the shirt was no longer available.

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