Federal prosecutors in Washington wrapped up the first criminal trial stemming from the Jan. 6 insurrection, urging a jury to convict Texas militia member Guy Reffitt on charges including obstruction of Congress and threatening his teenage children to keep them quiet.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower on Monday reviewed evidence from the riot last year by supporters of former President Donald Trump, including cell-phone video that showed Reffitt leading the first group up the Capitol steps before he was stopped by pepper spray from police.
“This defendant lit the fire in that moment so even after he was stopped they continue their advance, assaulting officers and screaming profanities as the defendant waived them on,” Berkower said in a closing statement after a six-day trial. “He went there for a purpose — to overthrow Congress.”
