The next day, prosecutors say, Mr Refitt began making arrangements to travel to Washington and arrive in time for “Armageddon all day” on Jan. 6, he wrote in the Three Percenters group chat. He told his countrymen that he planned to drive because flying was impossible with “all that battle rattle” he planned to bring – a reference to his weapons and body armor, prosecutors say.
Some in the group seemed to share his anger. On Dec. 22, a member wrote in chat, “The only way you can do anything in DC is if you get the crowd to pull the traitors out.”
Mr Reffitt replied: “I don’t think anyone who goes to DC has a different agenda.”
The House committee has also focused on how the tweet set off a chain reaction that prompted Mr. Trump’s supporters to begin military-style planning for Jan. 6. As part of the congressional investigation, investigators are trying to determine whether there was any coordination beyond the post that connects Mr. Trump’s inner circle with the militants, and whether the groups colluded.
“This tweet could be viewed as a call to action,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, a California Democrat and a member of the committee. “It’s definitely something we ask questions about in our discussions with Witnesses. We want to know if the President’s tweets have sparked and mobilized people to action.”
On the day of the post, participants at TheDonald.win, a pro-Trump chat board, began sharing tactics and techniques for attacking the Capitol, the committee noted in a report released Sunday, which recommended disobeying congressional charges against Dan Scavino Jr. Mr. Trump’s former Deputy Chief of Staff. In a thread on the chat board related to the tweet, the report pointed out, an anonymous poster wrote, that Mr. Trump “can’t exactly be open about urging you to revolt. That’s the closest he’ll ever get.”
Lawyers for the militants have repeatedly said that in preparing for January 6, the groups were simply acting defensively. They had real concerns, the lawyers said, that leftist counter-protesters might confront them, as they had at previous pro-Trump rallies.
Mr Trump’s post came as his efforts to stay in power shifted from the courts, where he had little success, to the streets and called into question the certification process that would take place on January 6.