1st trial of a U.S. Capitol riot defendant opens Monday in D.C. – By Ryan Lucas (NPR) / February 28, 2022
Nearly 14 months after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the first trial of a defendant charged in connection with the deadly attack opens Monday in federal court.
Guy Reffitt, a Texas man who authorities say belongs to the self-styled Three Percenter militia movement, is charged with five counts, including obstruction, civil disorder and entering Capitol grounds with a firearm. He has pleaded not guilty.
The trial in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., is a milestone in the Capitol riot investigation, which officials say is one of the largest and most complex in American history. So far, almost 750 people have been charged and around 220 have pleaded guilty. Of those, more than 100 have already been sentenced.
The courthouse is just down the street from the Capitol, where on Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob punched its way through police lines and into the building as lawmakers were meeting inside to certify Joe Biden’s election win.
