The Air Force decided to extend military funeral honors to deceased Senior Airman Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a police officer during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
The decision came after Air Force leadership during the Biden administration previously denied the request in February 2021, shortly after Babbitt was killed. The decision also comes on the heels of a wrongful death settlement reached in July, which resulted in the government paying the Babbitt family nearly $5 million.
"On behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, I write to extend the offer for Military Funeral Honors for SrA Ashli Babbitt," stated an Aug. 15 letter from the undersecretary of the Air Force, sent to Babbitt's husband, Aaron, according to the family's legal representatives. "After reviewing the circumstances of Ashli’s death, and considering the information that has come forward since then, I am persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect."
"After reviewing the circumstances of SrA Babbitt’s death, the Air Force has offered Military Funeral Honors to SrA Babbitt’s family," an Air Force spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Babbitt was shot and killed by a U.S. Capitol police officer as she was attempting to forcibly gain access to the Capitol chambers during the events of Jan. 6. Roughly three months later the Department of Justice announced it would not be pursuing criminal charges against the officer who shot Babbitt.
Both praise and criticism followed the news that the Air Force would be granting Babbitt her military honors, previously denied under Biden.
"There is no better example of how a leader is supposed to act, than right here in this letter," said retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a longtime Trump confidant who spent a short stint as the president's national security advisor after a long tenure in the military and time leading the Defense Intelligence Agency, in response to the undersecretary's letter restoring Babbitt's honors.
"May Ashli Babbitt now Rest In Peace and her family gain some measure of solace for the wonderful person she was and the light of truth she brought to each of us," Flynn concluded.
Good.
It's not enough, but it's a start, and at least some manifestation of the injustice done to Ashli Babbitt and her family. Point of fact: An UNARMED Ashli Babbitt was MURDERED by Capitol police lieutenant Michael Byrd FOR NO LOGICAL REASON, with a bullet fired THROUGH THE WINDOW OF A LOCKED DOOR. There was absolutely no way she was a threat to Byrd or anyone else, to warrant her being shot at, let alone killed. And then insult to injury, Byrd was 1) given a free pass in a fake investigation of the shooting, and 2) PROMOTED to captain. Byrd should be on death row, he killed an unarmed innocent girl. Babbitt's surviving husband has said she proudly served multiple tours in the Air Force military police, left wih full honors, and was very by the book. And several videos corroborate his assertion that on Jan 6th she was yelling at and trying to stop protesters smashing windows and other vandalism, and very vigorously tried to stop them.
Therer is NO EVIDENCE that she engaged in violence or vandalsim. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Which she never was.
