Ashli Babbitt, the Capitol rioter who was shot and killed trying to enter the Speaker’s Lobby on January 6, will receive a funeral with full military honors, according to an Air Force statement.
“After reviewing the circumstances of SrA Babbitt’s death, the Air Force has offered Military Funeral Honors to SrA Babbitt’s family,” a spokesperson for the Department of the Air Force said.
Military honors for Babbitt were denied under the Biden administration, according to Politico.
Babbitt — who was 35 at the time of her death — was shot by a Capitol police officer when she tried to climb through a broken window to access the Speaker’s Lobby. An investigation found that officer’s shooting was justified.
Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group, has been trying to secure a funeral with military honors for Babbitt since shortly after her death, and has alleged that she was a victim of government misconduct.
“Ashli Babbitt’s patriotic and courageous service in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard also merits favorable action on this request,” Judicial Watch wrote in a post on Wednesday announcing the decision.
The organization also released a 2021 letter from now-former Air Force Lieutenant General Brian Kelly who said, in his estimation, giving Babbitt a military funeral would “bring discredit upon the Air Force.”
Military funeral honors typically include the playing of Taps, a flag presentation, and a group of uniformed military personnel who participate in the ceremony.
Babbitt, who wore a Trump flag like a cape on the day she was killed storming the Capitol, posted frequently on social media about various right-wing conspiracy theories.
She was a believer in the “pizzagate” conspiracy which falsely accused a Washington, D.C. area pizza shop of trafficking children for Democratic lawmakers to abuse in its basement and which inspired an armed man to storm the restaurant.
During her time in the Air Force, Babbitt was deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates.
Once President Donald Trump returned to office, his administration agreed to pay Babbitt’s family close to $5 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought against the federal government.
That decision did not sit well with Thomas Manger, the outgoing chief of the Capitol Police.
“I am extremely disappointed and disagree with this settlement,” he said in May. “This settlement sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide, especially to those with a protective mission like ours.”
In addition to settling Babbitt’s family’s lawsuit, Trump also pardoned approximately 1,500 people charged or convicted of crimes relating to the Capitol riot.
