A resolution to deny military funeral honors recently granted for Ashli Babbitt, the San Diego woman who was fatally shot during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach, was blocked Wednesday following an objection from a Republican senator.
The U.S. Air Force earlier this year reversed a Biden administration denial of a military funeral for Babbitt, 35, who was shot by a U.S. Capitol police officer while she was climbing through the broken window of a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby.
In a letter penned by Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew L. Lohmeier to Babbitt’s mother and her widower, Lohmeier wrote, “On behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, I write to extend the offer for Military Funeral Honors for (Senior Airman) Ashli 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 am persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., introduced a resolution to deny Babbitt those honors, and during remarks made Wednesday on the Senate floor, Gallego called her “a traitor to this country” and said, “She didn’t die protecting our country. She died trying to tear it down.”
In a statement posted on social media after the resolution was blocked, Gallego said, “Draping her in the same flag real heroes come home under is a grotesque insult to every veteran who kept their oath.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., objected to the resolution – which blocked its passage – and said Wednesday that stripping military honors is reserved for those convicted of capital crimes.
Tuberville said on the Senate floor that Babbitt “earned these funeral honors through her service to this nation … This petty resolution would serve no other purpose than to punish the Babbitt family. It’s disgraceful and un-American,”
The Air Force’s decision came months after the federal government settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Babbitt’s family for nearly $5 million.
The Department of Justice did not pursue criminal charges against Lt. Michael Byrd, the officer who shot her, while U.S. Capitol police said he would not face internal discipline.
