According to a Thursday filing, Guy Refitt, a member of the Three Percent Texas militia, “specifically targeted at least two lawmakers — the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell — whom he did. sought to physically remove or replace it from the Capitol Building.”
Prosecutors aim to prove the charge at Reffitt’s trial, scheduled for late February. He will be the first January 6 defendant to appear in court, and is facing five federal charges. He has pleaded not guilty and has served time in prison since his arrest in January.
According to court documents, Reffitt was driving to Washington, DC, days before the riots, carrying an AR-15 rifle and a pistol in his vehicle. Prosecutors said Reffitt was wearing body armor and carrying a pistol and plastic sling on the grounds of the Capitol on January 6.
Prosecutors’ assertions could further undermine efforts of some Republicans to whitewash the deadly uprising and former President Donald Trump’s claim that the rioters pose “no threat” for the people inside the building.
Other rioters have been accused of making threats against lawmakers before, during and after January 6. In the week following the 2020 election, Michael Lopatic, in Pennsylvania, allegedly posted photos online of birds he took on a hunting trip that he named after prominent Democratic Party lawmakers. Garrett Miller, in Texas, allegedly tweeted “AOC Assassination” and wrote on Facebook about hanging a Black police officer. Mark Mazza, who is also accused of bringing a loaded gun to the Capitol, allegedly told investigators that if he found Pelosi that day, “you’re here for a different reason.”
Reffitt’s case gained national attention this summer when his son spoke publicly about how his father has been. Threaten to kill family members if they turn him into the FBI. Both Reffitt’s son and daughter testified against him in court and before a jury.
Reffitt’s defense attorney dismissed his threats as mere talk, and his daughter told a judge in March that she thought Reffitt was a “drama queen.”
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