By: Fern Sidman

The U.S. Air Force confirmed on Thursday that Ashli Babbitt, the 35-year-old Air Force veteran fatally shot during the January 6, 2021 Capitol protest, will receive full military funeral honors—a reversal of the Pentagon’s previous position under the Biden administration. The decision, revealed in a letter dated August 15 from Air Force Undersecretary Matthew Lohmeier and first reported by Newsmax, closes a contentious chapter in the debate over how the military should recognize Babbitt’s service.

According to a report that appeared on Thursday on Newsmax, the change followed a petition from conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, which in July formally appealed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to overturn the denial issued in February 2021.

In his letter, Lohmeier wrote candidly about the original rejection:

“I understand that the family’s initial request was denied by Air Force leadership in a letter dated February 9, 2021. However, 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.”

An Air Force spokesperson later confirmed the letter’s authenticity to Newsmax, noting that Babbitt’s family had been notified and arrangements for a funeral with military honors were underway.

Babbitt, who served 14 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard, was shot by a Capitol Police officer as she attempted to climb through a shattered window leading into the Speaker’s Lobby during the January 6 breach. The moment, captured on video, became one of the most widely discussed images from that day and quickly polarized Americans across political lines.

As Newsmax has frequently reported, Babbitt’s death was elevated by President Donald Trump and his supporters as a symbol of what they describe as the excessive force and political double standards of federal authorities. Trump himself repeatedly invoked her name during the 2024 presidential campaign, portraying her as a patriot who died for her beliefs.

To her critics, however, Babbitt’s presence in the Capitol represented participation in an unlawful event that threatened the seat of American democracy. That tension lay at the heart of the Air Force’s original denial of her family’s request for military funeral honors.

In February 2021, just weeks after the Capitol riot, Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly denied the request for honors, citing Babbitt’s actions during the protest.

“As a result of her decision to illegally enter the U.S. Capitol, I have determined that military funeral honors would bring discredit upon the Air Force,” Kelly wrote in a letter to Babbitt’s husband, Aaron Babbitt.

That determination left the family devastated, as Newsmax noted at the time, fueling widespread criticism among conservatives that the Biden administration had politicized the recognition of a veteran’s service.

Full military funeral honors represent one of the highest distinctions available to a veteran. Under Veterans Affairs guidelines, the honors include an honor guard of at least two members of the armed forces, one of whom must belong to the veteran’s branch of service.

The ceremony features the playing of “Taps”, ideally performed by a bugler, as well as the folding and presentation of the American flag to the next of kin. The flag detail and ceremonial precision embody the military’s recognition of service rendered to the nation, regardless of circumstances of death.

For Babbitt’s family, receiving these honors represents both closure and vindication after years of rejection.

Conservative advocacy group Judicial Watch played a central role in the reversal. Its president, Tom Fitton, celebrated the decision in a statement released after Lohmeier’s letter was made public.

“Ashli Babbitt’s family is grateful to President Trump, Secretary Hegseth and Under Secretary Lohmeier for reversing the Biden Defense Department’s cruel decision to deny Ashli funeral honors as a distinguished veteran of the Air Force,” Fitton said, according to the report on Newsmax.

Judicial Watch has long criticized what it views as the weaponization of federal agencies against conservatives. Its intervention in the Babbitt case underscores how disputes over January 6 continue to reverberate across institutions, from Congress to the Pentagon.

The timing of Babbitt’s funeral honors reversal coincided with broader debates about the politicization of federal agencies. Just as Newsmax has reported extensively on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushing agencies to align with Trump’s agenda, the Air Force’s reconsideration of Babbitt’s case illustrates the Trump administration’s broader efforts to rewrite policies and undo decisions from the Biden era.

For Trump supporters, Babbitt’s case was emblematic of what they saw as partisan double standards: a veteran denied honors because her death was politically inconvenient. Lohmeier’s decision, they argue, restores fairness.

While Aaron Babbitt has not yet given an extended interview since the reversal, his prior statements convey the depth of the family’s sense of loss and frustration. He has repeatedly described his wife as a loyal Air Force veteran and a woman of conviction who became a scapegoat for political narratives.

According to the information provided in the Newsmax report, the family has expressed gratitude not only for the recognition but also for the officials who championed their cause. Trump’s vocal advocacy, Hegseth’s defense leadership, and Lohmeier’s ultimate decision are all being credited with bringing long-denied closure.

Not all reactions have been supportive. Some legal analysts and veterans’ groups have raised concerns that the reversal could set a precedent for granting honors in cases where a veteran’s actions were explicitly tied to unlawful activity.

Critics argue that military honors should remain reserved for veterans whose service and conduct reflect positively on the armed forces. Babbitt’s attempt to breach the Speaker’s Lobby, they argue, complicates her legacy and risks politicizing what should be a solemn and apolitical honor.

However, as the Newsmax report noted, supporters counter that her military service stands on its own merits and that the denial was rooted not in law but in politics.

The decision also emphasizes Trump’s enduring influence over federal policy. Despite skepticism among some Pentagon officials, Trump’s advocacy for Babbitt’s family remained persistent. At rallies, he invoked her name alongside other grievances about January 6 prosecutions, framing her as a casualty of government overreach.

By securing military honors for Babbitt, Trump and his allies can now point to a tangible policy reversal as evidence of their ability to reshape institutions in line with their agenda. As Newsmax reported, the reversal will likely serve as a rallying point in Trump’s broader campaign to highlight what he calls injustices of the Biden era.

Arrangements for Babbitt’s funeral honors are expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. While the precise location and date remain private for security reasons, veterans’ groups anticipate a significant turnout.

The ceremony will close one chapter of a story that has lingered for nearly four years—a story that has come to symbolize broader debates about patriotism, accountability, and political bias in America’s institutions.

As the Newsmax report indicated, the reversal marks not just a personal victory for Babbitt’s family but also a broader signal that the Trump administration intends to revisit and overturn a range of Biden-era decisions, particularly those it views as punitive against veterans or conservatives.

The Air Force’s decision to grant Ashli Babbitt full military funeral honors is both a deeply personal resolution for her family and a politically charged moment in the ongoing national reckoning over January 6.

For her supporters, amplified through outlets like Newsmax, the recognition restores dignity to a veteran unfairly denied her due.