The Air Force Said Its “Previous Determination Was Incorrect” In Denying Babbitt

The U.S. Air Force announced it will extend military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran who was killed while storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Babbitt, 35, was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through the shattered window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby. At the time, she wore a Trump campaign flag draped across her shoulders.

Air Force Reversal

In a statement, the Air Force said its earlier decision to deny Babbitt funeral honors was “incorrect.” A letter dated Aug. 15 from Air Force under secretary Matthew Lohmeier to Babbitt’s family confirmed the shift, noting:

“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.”

Lohmeier also invited Babbitt’s family to meet with him at the Pentagon.

Political Pressure and Trump’s Narrative

The reversal comes amid ongoing efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to reframe the January 6 attack as a patriotic stand rather than an insurrection. Trump continues to falsely insist he won the 2020 election and has elevated Babbitt as a martyr figure within the Republican Party.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration agreed to pay Babbitt’s family nearly $5 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit over her killing. Conservative groups, including Judicial Watch, had long lobbied for her family to receive military honors.

Republican Reaction

Lohmeier, who posted about the decision on X, called it “long overdue” and shared a statement from Judicial Watch applauding the reversal.

Babbitt served as a senior airman during her Air Force career. Her death became one of the most high-profile moments of the Capitol attack, which left multiple people dead and hundreds facing criminal charges.