Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who died during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Riot, will receive military funeral honors more than four years after her death, per a letter from Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeier.
This Aug. 15 letter has been circulating on social media. CNN reported that a Department of the Air Force spokesperson confirmed its authenticity, and an X account for Lohmeier also posted about it Wednesday.
“Long overdue. Glad we could make this right,” he said.
Babbitt was 36 years old when she joined others participating in the Capitol Riots after current President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden after his first term. Many participants contended that the election was “stolen” from Trump and some tried to prevent the certification of votes for Biden.
In a 2021 press release, the United States Capitol Police said that an investigation determined that a law enforcement officer fatally shot Babbitt during the riot in the Speaker’s Lobby of the Capitol ash she tried to climb through a broken window. It also determined that the officer’s conduct was lawful and in accordance with department policy and they were cleared of wrongdoing.
“The actions of the officer in this case potentially saved Members and staff from serious injury and possible death from a large crowd of rioters who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol and to the House Chamber where Members and staff were steps away,” said the release. “USCP Officers had barricaded the Speaker's Lobby with furniture before a rioter shattered the glass door. If the doors were breached, the rioters would have immediate access to the House Chambers. The officer's actions were consistent with the officer’s training and USCP policies and procedures.”
T-shirts “Ashli Babbitt American patriot” were briefly sold in Sears and Kmart stores in 2021 after being removed due to complaints. During the Biden administration, Babbitt – who served four years of active duty from 2004 to 2008, was then in the reserves through 2010 and in the Air National Guard until 2016 – was denied military honors. Babbitt was deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates during her service.
“[A]fter 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,” Lohmeier said of Babbitt’s lack of military honors in his letter. “Additionally, I would like to invite you and your family to meet me at the Pentagon to personally offer my condolences.”
CNN said “specific details of what will be provided to [Babbitt’s] family are unclear,” but that “military honors typically include a uniformed detail at the funeral, the playing of Taps, and the folding and presentation of a U.S. flag.”
This isn’t the first time Trump or his administration has made moves in favor of Babbitt and her family. Back in 2021, Trump released a video wishing Babbitt a happy birthday, and this May, his administration agreed to pay $5 million to the Babbitt family in a wrongful death settlement.
This April, Trump floated giving reimbursements to others who participated in the riot and faced fines for property damage, though Democratic lawmakers opposed the idea. Shortly after taking office, he pardoned rioters, including members of organizations identified as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center.