Official recognition follows years of denial from the Biden administration…
The U.S. Air Force has reversed its previous decision and will now extend full military funeral honors to Senior Airman Ashli Babbitt, the veteran fatally shot by Capitol Police on Jan. 6, 2021.
This formal recognition was outlined in a letter dated Aug. 15 from Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew L. Lohmeier. The decision includes a formal military ceremony, the playing of “Taps,” the presentation of the American flag to Babbitt’s family, and an invitation for the family to visit the Pentagon.
Initial Denial Based on Political Optics
Babbitt, a 14-year Air Force veteran who served in the National Guard and was deployed overseas, had been previously denied this honor. In February 2021, just weeks after her death, the Air Force ruled that her actions during the Capitol breach disqualified her from receiving standard military honors.
The Biden-era decision, made by a senior Air Force official, concluded that awarding her a military funeral would “bring discredit upon the Air Force” due to her presence inside the Capitol during the riot.
That determination stood for more than three years — until now.
Just the News reports:
“Military funeral honors have been denied for the funeral of your wife due to the circumstances preceding her death,” the Air Force informed Babbitt’s husband, Aaron. Because Babbitt “was fatally shot after having illegally entered the United States Capitol Building” on Jan. 6, 2021, Brian Kelly, an Air Force lieutenant general, said he “determined that military funeral honors would bring discredit upon the Air Force.”
In a letter sent July 23 from Judicial Watch Senior Counsel Robert Sticht to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the lawyer wrote that President Donald Trump had granted pardons to Jan. 6 protestors. He also noted that the U.S. settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Babbitt’s family earlier last month for nearly $5 million
Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew L. Lohmeier wrote to Babbitt’s mother, Michelle Witthoeft, and Aaron Babbitt on Aug. 15, saying, “On behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, I write to extend the offer for Military Funeral Honors for SrA Ashli Babbitt. I understand that the family’s initial request was denied by Air Force leadership in a letter dated February 9, 2021.
“However, after reviewing the circumstances of Ashli’s death, and considering the information that has come forward since then, I am persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect,” he added. “Additionally, I would like to invite you and your family to meet me at the Pentagon to personally offer my condolences.”
New Leadership, New Review
Under Secretary Lohmeier, a former Space Force commander known for pushing back against ideological overreach in the military (and who was forced out in 2021 for criticizing Marxist influence in the ranks), reopened the case after reviewing new information related to the circumstances surrounding Babbitt’s death.
In his letter, Lohmeier stated that the earlier decision was wrong. He affirmed that Babbitt’s service record met the standards for military honors and that the Air Force would now extend to her the same recognition given to other eligible veterans.
$5 Million Settlement and Growing Scrutiny
This reversal comes on the heels of a $4.975 million wrongful death settlement the federal government reached with Babbitt’s family earlier this year. The payout, which drew criticism from the left and support from the right, did not require the government to admit wrongdoing but acknowledged Babbitt’s family had a legitimate legal claim.
The settlement — and now the honors — are part of a broader reexamination of how Babbitt’s death has been handled. Her shooting by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd was cleared internally without formal charges, but remains controversial, particularly among Trump supporters who argue Babbitt was unarmed and posed no immediate threat when she was shot.
Reaction Splits Along Familiar Lines
The response to the Air Force’s reversal broke predictably along partisan lines.
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former national security adviser to President Trump, praised the decision. Flynn called Lohmeier’s letter a strong example of leadership and expressed hope that the honors would bring solace to her family.
On the flip side, former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, now a CNN contributor, insinuated the decision was disgraceful, adding that Babbitt “dishonored her service by committing insurrection.”
Rep. Jason Crow (D‑CO), a former Army Ranger, went further. He called both the financial settlement and the military honors part of a dangerous attempt to “rewrite history,” adding that the gesture disrespected Capitol Police officers who were injured or took their own lives following the Jan. 6 riot.
A Broader Battle Over Narrative
At its core, the Air Force’s reversal underscores how unresolved the public debate over Jan. 6 remains. To some, Babbitt is a cautionary tale about political extremism. To others, she’s a veteran who was caught in a chaotic situation and paid the ultimate price.
Now, after years of bureaucratic stonewalling, her service will finally receive the formal recognition many insist it has always deserved.
Whether that brings closure — or just fuels more division — depends on which version of Jan. 6 Americans choose to believe.
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Since Ashli was never charged with any crime, much less convicted of one before she was summarily executed for what ‘might’ have been at worst a misdemeanor, the original action by the air farce was at best tone deaf if not down right insulting.
Military Honors are very nice, and long overdue. Know what else is overdue? The murder charge against that Capital Cop that shot and killed Ashli Babbitt. So, unless he was also pardoned by during the “blanket pardon” he should be charged with Capitol Murder. You listening Ms. Attorney General?!