A Texas teenager who tipped off the FBI about his father’s involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol is speaking out to let others know “it’s OK to come forward.”
In an interview on Tuesday with ABC News’ T.J. Holmes that aired on Good Morning America, Jackson Reffitt said that he is now in hiding and has cut ties with his family after turning his father in. His father, Guy Reffitt, warned both of his kids that if they turned him in, they would be traitors, and “traitors get shot.”
“I want people to know how awful this political strain can be on certain people,” the 18-year-old said of his experience.
“And I feel like I should have to have the voice to tell people that it’s OK to come forward,” he said “Your moral compass is going to be absolutely just the right thing.”
The FBI arrested Jackson’s father at their home in Wylie, Texas, on January 15. He is facing charges of unlawful entry on Capitol grounds and obstruction of justice.
“It’s all over the news,” Jackson told ABC News. “You could see him, his blue coat, his helmet, his GoPro, his bulletproof vest.”
The FBI would not confirm to ABC News whether Jackson called the agency. Still, an affidavit obtained by the outlet confirms he did provide info about the older Reffitt. Jackson told the agency that on January 8 and in the days that followed, Guy Reffitt identified himself as someone who participated in the January 6 riot and recorded some of the events.
Guy’s wife, Nicole Reffitt, says that her husband is a member of the Three Percenters, a right-wing paramilitary group. He is a “loving husband, devoted father, loyal friend, and passionate patriot,” she told the publication.
“It was pretty surreal to hear him talk as if this was something that is going to save our family,” the teen said.
Despite what his father said, Jackson told ABC News that he doesn’t believe his father would ever cause him any harm — or kill him.
“I think the way he’s been manipulated into thinking by these extremist groups and what’s been fed to him was worrying enough that I don’t know what he was going to do next,” Jackson told the outlet.
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