An alleged Capitol rioter who is set to be the first Jan. 6 defendant to stand trial beginning Monday issued a defiant jailhouse statement this week.
“The beginning of the 1/6 Political Prisoner trials,” Guy Reffitt of Texas said in the statement, which was posted on a Telegram channel dedicated to sharing messages from Jan. 6 defendants. “Orwellian thought crimes, Spies, and the Ministry of Truth.”
Reffitt, an oil worker and member of the Three Percenters militia group who was armed with a handgun on Jan. 6, is charged with five felonies in connection with the insurrection. He is also accused of threatening his children if they contacted the FBI, saying, "If you turn me in, you're a traitor and you know what happens to traitors … traitors get shot."
Reffitt was ultimately turned in by his 19-year-old son, Jackson, who has since become estranged from the family. Jackson and Reffitt's 17-year-old daughter, Peyton, reportedly are set to testify during his trial.
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In his Telegram message, Reffitt said his "wife and two daughters will be here with members of my family & friends."
In the message, Reffitt suggested that he could be acquitted, or that jury selection could fail, resulting in a change of venue from DC to Texas. However, a former federal prosecutor told WUSA Channel 9 that none of those possibilities is likely.
"Another potential outcome is...the truckers could spin this into a new paradigm shift for our country. I personally have a very open mind," Reffitt said in the message, apparently referring to trucker convoy protests.
Reffitt called for "fellow patriots" to attend, noting that audio of the trial will not be available on a public phone line "because they want a secret tribunal."
"Welcome to the New World Order," he wrote. "This will be the beginning of what could make or break this nation and every subsequent trial henceforth will be a spectacle. It will also be for the heart and soul of The Republic. One thing is for sure, they are trying very hard to control your life. They don't much like it that you think without their help. Tyranny is real, it's powerful, and it's here.
"It's this country we stand with and are willing to die for," Reffitt said of himself and his wife. "I am prepared to stare down the barrel of tyranny to receive the bullet of freedom."
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