TO years after the attack on the Capitol by loyal Donald Trump supporters, many families are still reeling from members exposing each other to law enforcement and offspring traumatized by their parents’ involvement in the insurrection.
Jackson Reffitt, a 19-year-old from Texas, called the FBI weeks before his father, Guy Reffitt, stormed the United States Capitol in January, saying his father had been hinting that he was doing “something big.” Teen vogue reported.
In text messages obtained by the magazine, Jackson’s younger sister texted their father in a family group chat, writing, “Dad, please stay safe! You know that you are not only risking your business, but also your life. “
Guy Reffitt replied: “I have no intention of throwing it away. I love you ALL with ALL my heart and soul. This is for our country and for ALL OF YOU and your children. God bless us, each and every one … “
Since then, Guy Reffitt has been charged with numerous crimes.
The charges relate to obstruction of official proceedings, obstruction of justice for threatening their children, transporting firearms with the intention of using them during the mob attack on the Capitol, and a misdemeanor for accessing land protected by the Secret Service without legal authorization.
While in jail awaiting trial, Senior Reffitt sent news reports to the family group chat featuring photos of himself in the riots.
Jackson told Teen Vogue that as the attacks unfolded, live on television, he received a phone call from the FBI, asking him to confirm his father’s identity and to confirm that it was his father in the riot.
Jackson now lives away from his family and rarely communicates with them.
“He used to be one of the best dads of all time,” he told the magazine. “He made me the man I am today. He taught me to be honest, not to steal, all that cliché. I think it educated me to do what I did. “
When Jackson talks to his mother, she calls him “the Gestapo”, referring to the Nazi secret police. His older sister, Sarah, 24, reportedly remains incredulous towards Jackson.
According to Sarah, she knows that her father loves Jackson, which in turn upsets her even more by accepting the fact that her brother turned him over to the FBI.
“It’s hard not to condemn Jackson for defending my father,” he said. “I will not call [my dad] a hero to go [to the Capitol]”He added, but said,” He is a hero to me because he is my dad, but not because of that. “
Sarah also does not believe that her father should be imprisoned while awaiting trial. Unlike judge in Guy Reffitt’s case, she doesn’t see her father as a danger to the community.
In a jail letter obtained by ProPublica, Guy Reffitt wrote: “January 6 was nothing less than a satirical way to overthrow a government. If overthrow was the mission, he would certainly have been overthrown. “
On Thursday, Joe Biden and Liz Cheney, the Republican congresswoman and co-chair of the select committee to attack the Capitol, spoke about how close the mob came to violently overturning the election result, but they failed.
Meanwhile, Robyn Sweet, the 35-year-old daughter of a Virginia man, Douglas Sweet, is grappling with being the daughter of a Capitol rebel.
Douglas Sweet, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, has been sentenced to 36 months of probation with one month of home detention, fined and ordered to perform community service.
Robyn Sweet said that once when she was protesting Against the schools being named after Confederate generals, he saw his father across a parking lot, standing under a Confederate flag with his friends.
“It’s like we’re living these mirrored lives”, Robyn He said Magazine. When a friend sent her a link to a news report that listed her father as one of the rioters arrested on January 6, Robyn said she was relieved because she knew he was safe.
Since then, Robyn and her father have limited their talking points to only light topics.
“We can’t even talk about religion, politics or current events,” he said.
While Jackson and Robyn continue to be in contact with their families, albeit to varying degrees, 19-year-old Helena Duke has not spoken to her mother, Therese Duke, since the day she learned that her mother was part of the Mafia mob. Capitol. .
After a video surfaced online showing Therese stalking a Capitol police officer and then being punched in the face, Helena tweeted, in what has become a viral post: “Hi Mom, remember the time you told me I shouldn’t go to [Black Lives Matter] you protest because they might turn violent … is that you?
Helena has since moved to the other side of the country from her mother and says they are barely in touch.
“I am horrified to this day that she did such a thing. I tried to close the last chapter of my life to heal myself completely, ”Helena said.
However, Helena regrets the relationship she used to have with her mother. “When I was a child, my mother was my idol. She was the ‘fun mom’ that all my friends adored. She was so loving and full of life. I wish people knew how painful it is to mourn the life of a father who is still living, ”Helena said.
Since the riots, federal prosecutors have brought cases against 727 people for their role in the deadly riots.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism