Texas man is first to face trial in Capitol riot

WASHINGTON — A Texas militia member who is the first person to be tried for the assault on the U.S. Capitol “lit the match that started the fire” when a mob charged at police officers guarding the building, a prosecutor said Wednesday during the trial’s opening statements.

A defense lawyer told jurors that the Justice Department’s case against Guy Wesley Reffitt is based on a “rush to judgment” against a man who tends to exaggerate.

“He uses a lot of hyperbole,” said Reffitt’s attorney, William Welch.

Prosecutors said Reffitt drove from Texas to Washington, armed with guns, because he intended to try to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory during a joint session on Jan. 6, 2021.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said Reffitt’s own words and actions, captured on video, show how he played a leadership role in a mob’s attack against officers on the west side of the Capitol.

“The defendant was the tip of this mob’s spear,” Nestler said.

A verdict in Reffitt’s trial could impact hundreds of other riot cases. A conviction would give prosecutors more leverage to cut plea deals with others facing charges. An acquittal could embolden other riot defendants to seek more favorable plea terms.

Reffitt is charged with bringing a gun onto Capitol grounds, interfering with police officers guarding the building and threatening his teenage children if they reported him to authorities. Reffitt’s son, Jackson, then 18, is expected to testify that he recorded his father talking about the riot after returning home to Wylie, Texas, near Dallas.

Reffitt was armed with a holstered handgun, carrying zip-tie handcuffs and wearing body armor and a helmet adorned with a video camera when he and other rioters charged at police officers, according to prosecutors.