Military funeral rites are extended to Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt by the U.S. authorities
U.S. Air Force Under Secretary Offers Military Honors to Ashli Babbitt
The U.S. Air Force has decided to offer military funeral honors for Ashli Babbitt, a veteran from California who was shot dead during the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. This decision was made after a review of the circumstances surrounding her death, as stated in a letter from Under Secretary Matthew Lohmeier.
In his letter, dated August 15, Lohmeier shared that he had reviewed the details of Ashli's death and found the previous determination regarding her death to be incorrect. However, he did not specify what this previous determination was. Lohmeier invited Ashli's family to meet him at the Pentagon to discuss the matter further.
The decision to grant Ashli Babbitt military funeral honors was made independently by the U.S. Air Force, and it was not influenced by the Biden administration, as Lohmeier's letter did not mention the current administration.
Lohmeier's letter also did not mention Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group that had previously advocated for Ashli Babbitt's family, claiming they had been denied military honors from the Biden administration.
Ashli Babbitt served as a senior airman in the U.S. Air Force and was wearing a Trump campaign flag at the time of her death. She was attempting to climb through a broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker's Lobby inside the Capitol.
The Trump administration had agreed to pay just under $5 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Ashli Babbitt's family. Lohmeier's letter considered the information that has come forward since Ashli's death. He also stated that the decision to offer military honors was "long overdue."
The U.S. government's offer of military funeral honors for Ashli Babbitt is a significant development in the case, and it is hoped that it brings some measure of closure to her family and friends.
