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2h ago

Air Force Reverses 2021 Denial, Offers Military Funeral Honors to Ashli Babbitt

An Aug. 15 letter from Under Secretary Matthew Lohmeier, later confirmed by the Air Force, reverses a 2021 denial following a nearly $5 million settlement.

A poster of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed by Capitol Police during the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, hangs on a fence on the first anniversary of the event outside the Capitol, in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2022.
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Ashli Babbitt.

Overview

  • The Department of the Air Force confirmed Thursday that Ashli Babbitt’s family has been offered military funeral honors.
  • Under Secretary Matthew Lohmeier told her husband and mother in an Aug. 15 letter that he is "persuaded the previous determination was incorrect" and invited them to meet at the Pentagon.
  • The offer overturns a Feb. 9, 2021 decision by Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, who wrote that granting honors "would bring discredit upon the Air Force."
  • The decision follows a roughly $4.975 million wrongful-death settlement paid to Babbitt’s estate this year; Judicial Watch represented the family and released the letter.
  • As a former junior enlisted airman, Babbitt would be eligible for a two-person honor guard, a folded U.S. flag, and the playing of "Taps," and the announcement drew both praise and criticism from political figures.