Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran killed during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol protest, will receive full military funeral honors after the Trump administration reversed an earlier denial by the Biden White House.
An Aug. 15 letter from Air Force undersecretary Matthew Lohmeier informed Babbitt’s family of the decision.
“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 wrote.
Veteran Service
Babbitt served in the Air Force and Air National Guard as a security forces airman, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
She was shot and killed by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd while attempting to climb through a barricaded door inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 protest.
An internal review cleared Byrd of criminal wrongdoing.
Lawsuit Settlement
The decision to bestow funeral honors comes after the Trump administration agreed to a $5 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Babbitt’s family.
They had originally sought $30 million.
Divided Reactions
Retired General Mike Flynn praised