Overview:
Guy Reffitt, who carried a gun to the US Capitol during the January 6th insurrection, was sentenced to over seven years in prison on Monday. His daughter says Trump should get life in prison.
Guy Reffitt, who carried a gun to the US Capitol during the January 6th insurrection, was sentenced to over seven years in prison on Monday. In addition to bringing a firearm to the Capitol, Reffitt threatened House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Reffitt was a member of the Three Percenters, a right-wing militia group, and decided to go to trial instead of taking a plea deal.
District Judge Dabney Friedrich said Reffitt’s behavior was the opposite of patriotic. “Mr. Reffitt’s reluctance to admit early that his behavior is illegal is concerning,” Judge Friedrich said during the sentencing hearing. “And I want to be very clear … under no legitimate definition of the term ‘patriot’ (does) Mr. Reffitt’s behavior on and around January 6 fit the term. It is the antithesis of the word.”
According to a video recording created by Reffitt himself during the insurrection, he wanted to bring violence to Congressional leaders. “I just want to see Pelosi’s head hit every f**king stair on the way out. … And (Republican leader) Mitch McConnell too,” Reffitt said during the video.
The Prosecutor in the case, Jeffrey Nestler, called Reffitt’s actions terrorism. “We do believe he is a domestic terrorist,” Nestler said.
Reffitt’s two daughters spoke to the press after the sentencing. One daughter said that Trump should face “life in prison” for his actions, while the other said that “it didn’t seem right” that Trump could potentially get re-elected after the events of January 6th.
A new poll found that over half of voters believe that Trump should face an indictment for his actions on January 6th. The former President is still mulling a 2024 Presidential run, and has not yet faced any serious legal consequences for the insurrection. There is some evidence that the Congressional investigation into the insurrection has politically damaged the former President. Several Republicans have called for him not to announce a 2024 Presidential bid until after the midterms, fearing a national backlash against the Republican Party.