Son Tipped off FBI About His Father Who Took Part in Capitol Riots | 22 Words

A teenager has hit the headlines after tipping off the FBI about his father taking part in the Capitol hill riots...

But this story is far from straightforward.

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​Because it has been revealed that the man had actually reported his father to the FBI weeks before the Capitol riots.

The teen has finally broken his silence...

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And went on the record in a brand new TV interview revealing his dad's alleged dark threats and why he felt the need to report him.

It all started on January 6.

While a joint session of Congress convened to formally count the Electoral College votes and certify Joe Biden's election win, lawmakers were forced to shelter in place and evacuate as pro-Trump rioters broke into the U.S Capitol Building.

Hundreds of rioters forced their way into the prestigious building...

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 Breaking windows, doors, and furniture along with chants of "stop the steal!"

The rioters took over several of the rooms and chambers in the building...

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 And photos showing them looting objects, such as the lectern of U.S. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, quickly started circulating online.

From this, more violence ensued...

As rioters clashed with the few police officers in presence.

The scenes shocked people all over the globe...

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 And the world watched on, transfixed, as more and more rioters continued to spill into the Capitol and clash with police.

Shortly afterward, it was confirmed that there had been fatalities within the Capitol.

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 Chief Robert Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, confirmed the news during a press conference.

It quickly emerged that one female rioter had been shot dead by police...

4 other fatalities were later confirmed.

From the get-go, there were calls for Trump to intervene.

The former president was repeatedly urged to appear on national television to order his supporters to stand down.

He instead issued a series of tweets...

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Where he reminded the rioters that the police and law enforcement was "on our side," and to "remain peaceful."

Hours after his supporters had stormed the Capitol, however, Trump finally released a video telling them, "Go home, we love you, you're very special."

Shortly afterward, all of his social media accounts were suspended indefinitely.

Now, nearly 3 weeks on from the violence, people from all across the world remain in a state of shock from what they witnessed...

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And the FBI is continuing to pursue those thought to be involved.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, more than 125 arrests have been made in connection to the Capitol siege.

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And the FBI has been opening hundreds of case files in regards to the violence and illegal acts that happened on that day.

Which brings us to this question:

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What would you do if you knew your mom or dad had taken part in the riots?

Well, that's exactly the situation that faced one teenager from Texas.

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​2 days after the Capitol riot, eighteen-year-old Jackson Reffitt's father, Guy W. Reffitt, returned to the family's home in Texas where he admitted that he had stormed the Capitol, according to an F.B.I. affidavit.

But things quickly took a dark turn.

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His father threatened that if Jackson reported him to the police, he would have no choice but to do his "duty" for his country and "do what he had to do."

In interviews with investigators, Jackson said his father then told him:

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"If you turn me in, you're a traitor. And you know what happens to traitors. Traitors get shot."

But, unbeknown to his father, Jackson had already reported him to the FBI weeks before the deadly riot.

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"He would always tell me that he's going to do something big," Jackson said in a phone interview on Saturday.

"I assumed he was going to do something big, and I didn't know what."

Reffitt's wife told investigators after the riot that he was a member of the Three Percenters, a far-right militia group, according to the affidavit.

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Jackson said he learned that his father was headed to Washington the day before the riot but that he did not know what he would be doing there.

He later discovered what was happening after seeing the images of rioters storming the Capitol on the news.

It's not clear what came from the first point of contact Jackson made with the FBI before the riots broke out...

According to reports, Federal investigators contacted him during the riots to follow up on his tip from weeks earlier, at which point, he said, he helped "prove what they were trying to investigate."

Of tipping the FBI, Jackson says said he had "just wanted someone to know" about his father's threats of "doing something big."

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"I didn't know what he was going to do, so I just did anything possible just to be on the safe side," he said.

His father was arrested on Jan. 16.

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And now faces charges of obstruction of justice and of knowingly entering a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.

However, Jackson says that he's unsure whether his father knows he reported him to authorities.

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"I am afraid for him to know," he said. "Not for my life or anything, but for what he might think."

He remains hopeful that his relationship with his father can be repaired.

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"We'll get better over time," he said. "I know we will."

In the wake of him going public, Jackson has since set up a GoFundMe...

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"Every penny is another course in college or me saving it for years to come," he wrote on the platform. "I might be kicked out of my house due to my involvement in my dad's case, so every cent might help me survive."

Incredibly, the page has raised more than $84,000.

​You can watch part of his interview below. 

For more on the Capitol riots, scroll on...