Ex-Capitol cop who retired after injuries slams choice to give full military honors to Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt
The U.S. Air Force has reversed course and decided to grant full military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran who was fatally shot while storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The move overturns a Biden-era policy that had barred her from receiving the distinction, citing her participation in the insurrection. The decision has fueled sharp backlash from lawmakers and veterans who argue it dishonors service members who upheld their oath during the attack.
Former U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino A. Gonell, who nearly lost his life defending lawmakers during the Jan. 6 insurrection, condemned the decision in a strongly worded post on Bluesky.
Gonell, who retired in 2022 due to injuries from the attack, said the reversal of a Biden-era policy feels like “betrayal yet again” of the officers who held the line that day.
Ashli Babbitt died while trying to climb through a broken-down door inside the U.S. Capitol. She ignored repeated commands to stop as lawmakers scrambled to safety. U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd fatally shot her in what he later called a "last resort" decision to protect Congress.
Air Force walks back the ban, will grant full military honors to Babbitt
The request was granted on Aug 15. 2025, by Air Force Under Secretary Matthew Lohmeier. It reversed a ruling during the Biden administration. At the time, Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly told Babbitt's family that honoring her "would bring discredit upon the U.S. Air Force."
Even though none of the facts about Babbitt's death have changed, Lohmeier explained in his letter that after "reviewing the circumstances of Ashli’s death and considering the information that has come forward since then [...] persuaded [him] that the previous determination was incorrect."
That shift drew immediate pushback. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who served on the House Jan. 6 committee, posted on Bluesky, "[Ashli Babbitt] dishonored her service by committing insurrection against her country. While her death is absolutely tragic and I wish it hadn’t happened, the Air Force giving her honors is in itself a dishonor."
Former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who was badly injured during the riot, also blasted the decision. "BETRAYED YET AGAIN BY MAGA elected officials that can’t muster the courage to honor with a plaque the J6 officers who fulfilled their oath and duty while they ran in fear for their lives and from the mob she was part of. FU all cowers," he wrote.
Radio host and legal analyst Barry Markson (@BarryMarkson1) tweeted, "Unbelievable. We are living in the bizarro world. Up is down. Black is white."
Actor Mark Hamill wrote, "Between RFK decimating the CDC, normalizing Ashli Babbitt & the umpteenth school shooting… I'm losing the will to post," before quipping, "#ReleaseTheEPSTEIN_Files."
Another person on X wrote, "This is an embarrassment to men and women that have died fighting for our country. She died at the hands of secret service protecting elected reps from slaughter from her and the mob."
Nevertheless, Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group representing Babbitt’s family, celebrated the move. The group called the Biden administration’s earlier refusal "cruel" and credited Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Lohmeier for the change.
Babbitt’s legacy remains polarizing
Investigators cleared Lt. Byrd of wrongdoing in August 2021, noting he had no way of knowing whether Babbitt was armed.
Lt. Byrd said in an interview with NBC News at the time, "I tried to wait as long as I could. I hoped and prayed no one tried to enter through those doors, but their failure to comply required me to take the appropriate action to save the lives of members of Congress and myself and my fellow officers."
Meanwhile, Babbitt’s family pursued a wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government. They originally demanded $30 million but ultimately settled for $5 million this past May, months after Trump pardoned over 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters, including those who knowingly assaulted police officers.
Even before her death, Babbitt had become deeply immersed in QAnon conspiracy theories. A Bellingcat review found she joined the movement as early as February 2020. On Jan. 5, the day before she died, she tweeted, "They can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours.. Dark to light!"
Trump repeatedly celebrated Babbitt after the attack, posting birthday tributes and calling her an "incredible person." When she was killed, she was wearing a Trump flag around her shoulders like a cape.
Under Department of Veterans Affairs guidelines, the honors she will now receive include the playing of taps and a folded flag presented to her family.
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