Jan. 6 riot defendant was 'tip of this mob's spear, prosecutor tells jury
Prosecutors laid out their case against Guy Reffitt, who is the first defendant connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection to face trial. His attorney described the case as based on "hype."
For the first time, federal prosecutors on Wednesday presented a jury with the case against an alleged participant in the pro-Trump riot that overwhelmed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and disrupted the peaceful transfer of power to President Biden. Jurors also heard testimony from two people who served with the U.S. Capitol Police that day, including one longtime member of the force, who became emotional recalling the violence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Nestler told the Washington, D.C., jury that the riot that day was the worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812.
"A mob needs leaders," Nestler said, and pointed to the defendant, Guy Wesley Reffitt of Texas, as one of those leaders.
The government accused Reffitt
