A Texas man allegedly threatened to shoot his own children if they turned him in for his participation in the deadly insurrection in the U.S. Capitol Building.
Guy Reffitt, 48, told his family he participated in storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, but upon learning he was wanted by the FBI, he warned them against turning him in.
“If you turn me in, you’re a traitor, and you know what happens to traitors … traitors get shot,” Reffitt said to his son and daughter, according to a statement from his wife.
Upon his arrest on Saturday, Reffitt was charged with obstruction of justice for the threats he made against his family members. He was also charged with unlawful entry into the Capitol Building.
Reffitt is an oil worker who allegedly has ties to right-wing extremist groups and militia groups. His wife identified him as a member of the Three Percenters, a right-wing movement that believes only three percent of colonists fought the British during the Revolutionary War, making them “true” patriots.
He was seen in video footage from several news outlets, clips in which he’s dressed in a tactical-style vest and wearing a GoPro camera on a black helmet. Federal agents used cellphone tracking data to affirm that Reffitt was indeed inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
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His 18-year-old son, Jackson, told agents his father told him and his younger sister to erase footage from the helmet camera. He also told him that if he “crossed the line and reported Reffitt to the police, putting the family in jeopardy, Reffitt would have no option but to do Reffitt’s duty for Reffitt’s country, and ‘do what he had to do,’ ” the affidavit says.
He also allegedly told his daughter that if she posted about him on social media, he would “put a bullet through” her phone.
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Reffitt’s son told a local television station his father believed the false, court-rejected claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen espoused by outgoing President Donald Trump.
Of his relationship with his father, Jackson Reffitt said, “I love him, but I hate him.” The young man, who defines himself as “liberal,” said he thinks Trump manipulated his family.
When asked if he thinks his father is dangerous, he replied, “I don’t really know him anymore.”
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