A contentious decision has been made regarding a prominent figure from the Jan. 6 Capitol events. The Air Force has reversed course, now granting military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, the rioter fatally shot during the Capitol breach. This move, influenced by the Trump administration, sparks significant debate. What are your thoughts on this controversial reversal?
A contentious decision by the Air Force has ignited a significant political controversy, with military funeral honors now approved for Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who was fatally shot during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. This reversal of a previous denial, spearheaded by the Trump administration, underscores ongoing divisions surrounding the events of that day and the treatment of those involved.
Ashli Babbitt, a senior airman during her service, became a prominent, tragic figure of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Video footage of the incident shows her as part of a group attempting to breach barricaded doors outside the House chamber, where lawmakers were present, when she was shot by U.S. Capitol Police. Her actions were part of a broader, illegal attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results and to keep Donald Trump in power.
Initially, the Biden administration had denied Babbitt military funeral honors, citing the circumstances of her death. A February 2021 letter from Air Force official Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly explicitly stated that granting such honors “would bring discredit upon the Air Force,” a determination based on the violent nature of the insurrection she participated in.
However, the Trump administration moved to overturn this decision. Air Force Under Secretary Matthew Lohmeier, a Trump nominee, approved the funeral honors, reversing the 2021 ruling. Lohmeier, who had previously been fired from the Space Force, stated that after reviewing the circumstances and new information, the prior determination was “incorrect.”
Lohmeier’s approval, shared by the conservative nonprofit Judicial Watch which has represented the Babbitt family, also included a personal invitation to the family to meet him at the Pentagon to offer condolences, alongside a handwritten note expressing his desire “to be of service!” This gesture highlights the deeply personal and political nature of the reversal, which Judicial Watch hailed as a vindication for the Air Force veteran.
This move is seen as another effort by the Trump administration to reframe the narrative of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and to undo consequences for those who sought to overturn the election. It follows Trump’s pardons for approximately 1,500 of his supporters who participated in the 2021 attack, including members of extremist groups, further fueling the political controversy surrounding the events.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from various quarters, including veterans’ advocates. Kris Goldsmith, an Army veteran and CEO of Task Force Butler, a nonprofit dedicated to countering authoritarianism, called the administration’s attempt to “rewrite history” deeply offensive to those who served honorably and did not betray their country or try to violently undermine democracy.
Despite the contentious circumstances of her death, Babbitt had a legitimate military service record, serving in the Air Force from 2004 to 2009 and subsequently in the Air National Guard for several years, receiving an honorable discharge after approximately 12 years of service. Her family was also awarded a $5 million damage settlement in July, further intensifying the debate over her legacy and the appropriateness of the military honors.
The granting of military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt represents a significant inflection point in the ongoing public and political discourse surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. It forces a national conversation about who deserves such honors, the role of political influence in military decisions, and the enduring impact of the events of that day on American democracy and its institutions.
