The Air Force is granting full military funeral honors for Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was shot to death by police on Jan. 6, 2021, during the Capitol protest.
Judicial Watch, which had petitioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in July to grant the honor, released a letter from Air Force Undersecretary Matthew Lohmeier dated Aug. 15 reversing the Biden administration’s denial of a military funeral.
“I understand that the family’s initial request was denied by Air Force leadership in a letter dated February 9, 2021,” Lohmeier wrote in the letter. “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.”
Babbitt, 35, was fatally shot while trying to climb through a broken window into the Speaker’s Lobby after the U.S. Capitol was breached. Her death became a rallying cry for Trump supporters and was often mentioned by President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign.
In a letter to her husband, Aaron Babbitt, in February 2021, Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly denied full military funeral honors, citing Ashli Babbitt had “illegally entered” the Capitol, he wrote.
“As a result, I have determined that military funeral honors would bring discredit upon the Air Force,” Kelly wrote.
