Skip to content
Politics

First Jan. 6 Trial Starts Against Texas Man Turned In by Son

  • First trial of 700 charged in Capitol riot is militia member
  • Guy Reffitt’s lawyer says he didn’t hurt anyone, enter Capitol
Trump supporters outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump supporters outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.

Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg
By

Updated on

The first person to go on trial for participating in the Jan. 6 riot was accused by prosecutors of being “the match that started the fire” for thousands of people who stormed the Capitol.

Guy Reffitt, a member of the far-right Three Percenter militia who had joined the riot along with other supporters of former President Donald Trump, arrived in Washington the day before the deadly assault with two guns and a plan to “drive our elected representatives physically out of their chambers,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler told jurors Wednesday.