President Donald Trump's staunch supporter Guy Reffitt, who participated in the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, threatened to kill his children if they snitched about him to the authorities. The FBI arrestedReffitt and charged him with an unlawful entry and obstruction of justice by issuing threats to his family to prevent them from talking.
Reffitt was part of thousands of violent Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol soon after Vice President Mike Pence told the lawmakers that he will not block the congressional certification of Joe Biden's victory. Quashing hopes of Trump and his supporters, Pence, at the beginning of the joint session, had said that he did not believe he has the "unilateral authority to decide which electoral votes should be counted."
FBI Recovers Firearms from Reffitt's House
The FBI also recovered two firearms from Reffitt's house which he had allegedly taken with to Washington during the fatal Capitol attack. The criminal complaint filed against Reffitt describes him to be a member of militia extremist group.
NBC reported that the complaint filed by FBI included seven photographs taken from Reuters video and broadcast on FOX News. The images showed Reffitt outside the U.S. Capitol washing his eyes with water while wearing a tactical vest and a black helmet on the day of attack.
The investigating authorities compared the photographs with Reffitt's driver's license photo to confirm his identity. Also, the data from his cell phone also confirmed his presence at the Capitol when a mob rioted, the FBI said.
Reffitt Called His Children Traitor if They Told on Him
Reffitt, who told his family that he went to the Capitol to "protect the country," and he "stormed the Capitol," threatened them if they revealed about his identity to the FBI.
Five days after the attack, Reffitt told his family members that he had to "erase everything" because the FBI was "watching him."
He then went on to tell his 18-year-old son, Jackson Reffitt, that if he "crossed the line" and reported him to the police, he would have to "do what he had to do."
"Are you threatening us?" the son said, according to the complaint. "Don't put words in my mouth," Reffitt replied.
According to the complaint, Reffitt also threatened to "put a bullet" through his daughter's cell phone if she recorded him.
His wife quoted him as saying: "If you turn me in, you're a traitor and you know what happens to traitors. Traitors get shot."
Speaking to the outlet, Jackson said that his father, worked in the oil business and has been trying to start a private security company. "He became increasingly obsessed with politics over the four years of the Trump administration and joined a far-right militia group known as the "three percenters," Jackson said.
