US Capitol riots: One family's rift and America's great divide - the legacy of January 6

In full: Jackson Reffitt tells Washington Correspondent Robert Moore of the agonising choice he had to make


Four months since the Capitol insurrection on January 6th, and one court case in particular - and one family's rupture - has become a symbol of America's deep political rift.

In late 2020, just two weeks before the storming of Congress, 19-year-old Jackson Reffitt, who lives in Texas with his family, had spotted his father embracing ever-wilder conspiracy theories.

Guy Reffitt was a pro-Trump supporter with a connection to a Texas militia who believed that China had manipulated the election result in favour of Joe Biden.

Jackson told ITV News he had an agonising choice to make: Did he love his country more than his father?

Should he tip off the FBI that his own dad was a danger? He decided his father needed to be monitored by the authorities. Jackson made that call to the FBI.


'In the end I guess I did choose my country', Jackson tells ITV News


They did nothing and on January 6th he saw pictures of his father on the frontline at the Capitol and provided additional information against his dad.

Guy Reffitt is now in prison and awaiting trial. He has shown no remorse.

In a letter written allegedly from behind bars this week, he says that he has bonded with fellow insurrectionists who are also in jail and that they sing the national anthem together, "loud and proud most everyday."

In the letter, Reffitt also said he and other militiamen could have succeeded in pulling off the coup against the US government if that had been their real intention.

"If overthrow was the quest, it would have no doubt been overthrown," he wrote.


'He threatened me and my younger sister': Jackson tells ITV News he could see his dad 'doing something worse than the Capitol riots'

For his part, Jackson says he still loves his father and didn't betray him to the FBI but acted to protect him, and that his tip-off was driven by fear that he could become even more violent.

The concern for the FBI is that conspiracy theories are still mixing with online hate messaging and paranoia, and that January 6th may not be the end of the danger from the far right.

Multiple investigations are still continuing into what happened on January 6th. More than 400 people have been charged with offences related to the rioting and violence that day, and the court system in Washington DC is gearing up for multiple trials.

Among them will be the Reffitt case, exposing the "perfect" father who became radicalised, and putting the spotlight on the teenage son who felt he had to choose between the safety of America and love for his father.