Ashli Babbitt to Receive Full Military Funeral Honors Years After Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

Ashli Babbitt — the Air Force veteran and Capitol rioter fatally shot while storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 — will now be laid to rest with full military honors, according to a statement from the Air Force.

Babbitt, 35, was shot by a Capitol Police officer as she attempted to climb through a shattered window into the Speaker’s Lobby, just steps away from lawmakers being evacuated. The officer’s actions were later ruled justified.

From Denial to Approval

Initially, under the Biden administration, military funeral honors were denied. At the time, Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly argued that honoring Babbitt would “bring discredit upon the Air Force.”

But after years of lobbying by Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group, the Air Force reversed course. “After reviewing the circumstances of SrA Babbitt’s death, the Air Force has offered Military Funeral Honors to SrA Babbitt’s family,” the department confirmed.

Judicial Watch praised the move, citing Babbitt’s service record and deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. “Her patriotic and courageous service merits favorable action on this request,” the group said.

Military funeral honors typically include the playing of Taps, a flag presentation, and a uniformed detail to perform ceremonial duties.

A Polarizing Legacy

Babbitt’s death remains one of the most controversial moments of the Capitol riot. Wearing a Trump flag like a cape, she was a vocal believer in conspiracy theories such as “Pizzagate,” which falsely claimed Democratic leaders ran a child-trafficking ring out of a Washington, D.C. pizzeria.

Her family’s fight did not end with her death. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump’s administration agreed to pay nearly $5 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by her relatives — a move that drew criticism from Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger.

“This settlement sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide,” Manger said, warning it could undermine officers tasked with protecting elected officials.

Trump’s Role

Since returning to office, Trump has worked to reframe the Capitol rioters as “patriots.” Alongside the Babbitt settlement, he has pardoned roughly 1,500 people charged or convicted in connection with January 6.

For Babbitt’s family and supporters, the upcoming funeral honors mark vindication. For her critics, they underscore the deep divisions over how America remembers one of the darkest days in its democracy.