The U.S. Air Force is planning to offer an official military funeral for deceased insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt, who was shot during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to documents released by a conservative nonprofit.
Babbitt has become a cause célèbre for President Donald Trump and his most strident followers — some of whom have turned to conspiracy theories to distort the details of her death during an assault on Congress.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration agreed to a nearly $5 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit Babbitt’s family filed. According to a letter first published Wednesday by conservative outlet Judicial Watch, the U.S. Air Force reversed a previous decision by the Biden administration not to offer Babbitt, who served in the force before becoming an insurrectionist, an official funeral featuring military honors.
The letter from U.S. Air Force Undersecretary Matthew Donovan is dated Aug. 15 and offers Babbitt’s family a personal meeting to offer “condolences.”
It reads:
On behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, I write to extend the offer for Military Funeral Honors for SrA Ashley Babbitt. 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 aim persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect. Additionally, I would like to invite you and your family to meet me at the Pentagon to personally offer my condolences. A spokesperson for the Air Force confirmed funeral honors have been offered to Babbitt’s family in a comment to MSNBC. Judicial Watch also released a letter from former Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, saying he’d determined military honors for Babbitt would “bring discredit upon the Air Force.” That’s a legitimate concern. Military funeral honors include the playing of “Taps,” the presentation of a U.S. flag and a detail of uniformed military personnel assigned to the ceremonies. Indeed, they are intended as honors for veterans who uphold their oath to protect the United States — and not people like Babbitt, who attempted to undermine the principles and processes that undergird our democracy. The Trump administration has slashed federal funds for things such as crucial health research grants and anti-trafficking programs under the guise that such things are wasteful. Meanwhile, it continues to spend American tax dollars on spectacles like this: an effort to portray someone who attempted to stop the democratic transfer of power as a patriotic martyr.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.
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