Guilty: Jury Convicts Insurrectionist in First January 6 Trial

Guy Reffitt was found guilty on five counts.

Guy Reffitt

Courtroom sketch of Guy Wesley Reffitt, joined by his lawyer William Welch, right, in federal court, in Washington, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022Dana Verkouteren/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

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The first criminal trial of a January 6 insurrectionist has reached its dramatic conclusion: Guilty on all counts.

Guy Reffitt, a Three Percenter militia member who wore a helmet and body armor as he confronted police defending the Capitol, was found guilty of obstructing the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. The 41-year-old Texan was also found guilty of illegally carrying a gun in the mob that day and threatening his children in a (thwarted) attempt to keep authorities in the dark.

The New York Times explains the significance of the conviction for the ongoing efforts to prosecute the Capitol assailants:

The trial, in Federal District Court in Washington, was a victory for the Justice Department, which has only just begun the marathon process of bringing to trial scores of rioters accused of storming the Capitol or assaulting the police outside it on Jan. 6, 2021.

The jury’s decision validated the prosecutors’ move to use an unusual obstruction count to charge hundreds of defendants in riot-related cases and could provide an incentive to some who are awaiting trial to consider pleading guilty.

In an extensive investigation published last September, Mother Jones highlighted Reffitt’s role in the attack, including carrying a pistol—despite Trump supporters’ frequent claims the insurrectionist weren’t armed.

According to FBI wiretap evidence contained in court documents, Reffitt boasted to family and fellow militia members after returning to Texas in January that he and other insurrectionists brought guns to the siege. “The people that were around me were all carrying too,” he said. “I had every constitutional right to carry a weapon and take over the Congress, as we tried to do. We went in, they scurried like rats and hid. That’s how it works.”

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

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