It's hard to believe, but we are in March of 2022 and the first trial for a January 6th insurrection just wrapped up. All the other hearings had been related to plea deals, initial appearances, etc. And if this trial is any indication about how it is going to go for those that chose to not take plea deals, it is not going to be good. For them.
The Washington Post reports that Guy Reffitt is a "former a petroleum industry rig manager and recruiter for the extremist Texas Three Percenters movement" and although he was not seen actually entering the Capitol or physically assaulting any law enforcement, his role was critical in guiding the mob of insurrectionists into the building. After three days of testimony and just two hours of deliberation, the jurors found Reffitt guilty of all five felonies: obstruction of an official proceeding, interfering with police in a riot, transporting a firearm for that purpose, armed trespassing and witness tampering. Not even a question. In addition, he was found to have threatened two of his children in an effort to get them to not expose him. I wrote about his extremely brave, then 18 year old son, Jackson here.
Reffitt came to DC from Texas with an AR-15 and a handgun and was at the insurrection in full body armor and carrying a radio and flex cuffs.
In their closing, prosecutors said: "On January 6th, 2021, Guy Reffitt challenged the police at the head of a vigilante mob determined to break into the United States Capitol. He did this because he wanted to take out Congress, and an angry, energized crowd gave him his best shot." Reffitt “lighted that crowd into an unstoppable force” that pushed through officers making a “last stand” defending the Senate wing doors, the prosecutor said.
In a self-recorded video at the rally, Reffitt said: “I’m taking the Capitol with everyone else. … I think we have the numbers to make it happen.” In another video, Reffitt said that he wanted to drag Nany Pelosi "out kicking and screaming” and that he wanted to see her head hit every stair on the way down. Absolutely vile.
Following the insurrection, Reffitt showed his family video of his actions, bragging “I did bring a weapon on property we own, federal property or not. … This gun right here was loaded.” The defense tried to walk that back, saying: “Guy Reffitt never put his hands on anyone. Never threw anything at anyone. Never hit anyone with anything," arguing that at worst he was guilty of mere trespassing, a plea that many others have made to get little to no jail time.
After a few days of testimony, featuring law enforcement and family members testifying against Reffitt, he was found guilty on all counts. He will be sentenced on June 8th and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Sadly, Reffitt's wife continues to stand by him, telling reporters after the verdict was read that: "This fight has just begun. Do not take … a plea. They want us to take a plea. … They are making a point out of Guy and that is to intimidate the other members of the One-Sixers, and we will all fight together.”
