A Texas teenager informed federal authorities of his father’s involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot.
Informer: Jackson Reffitt, an 18-year-old resident of Wylie, Texas, warned the F.B.I. that his father, Guy, 48, was “going to do something big,” Fox affiliate KDFW reported on Sunday.
- The elder Reffitt allegedly told his son that he had been part of the crowd that had stormed the Capitol and allegedly threatened him, saying, “If you turn me in, you’re a traitor. And you know what happens to traitors. Traitors get shot.”
- “It was my moral compass … to do what I thought would protect not only my family, but my dad himself,” Jackson told KDFW. “I would do it again.”
The accolades: Reffitt, whose Twitter profile picture shows him wearing a hat with an anti-police slogan, was hailed as a hero by many.
- Reffitt’s newfound fame led to him being interviewed by CNN’s Chris Cuomo.
- Admirers also contributed more than $110,000 for his college fund.
- The teen’s father, who was allegedly affiliated with the Three-Percenter militia movement, was arrested on January 15.
A trend: The Reffitts are only the most recent example of Americans turning on family over the events of Jan. 6.
- In another high-profile incident, Helena Duke, an 18-year-old Black Lives Matter supporter from Massachusetts, outed her mother on Twitter for attending demonstrations at the Capitol.
- Duke’s mother lost her job after the revelation.
- But Duke’s actions led well-wishers to raise more than $73,000 for the teen’s college fund.
The F.B.I. is expecting to make “hundreds” of arrests following the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
