Society
Off-Broadway Play Praises Texas Native Who Turned In His Own Father For Jan 6
A new off-Broadway play details the story of Jackson Reffitt, a Texas native who turned in his own father to the FBI after he attended the January 6 Capitol protests. Reffitt, who was 19 at the time, testified against his own father, Guy, who was sentenced to seven years in federal prison despite the fact that he never entered the Capitol Building.
When Jackson testified against his father in his 2022 trial, he told the court that he searched “FBI tip” after Guy told his family that he would be traveling to Washington D.C. to protest the 2020 election results. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I just felt gross. I don’t think I can explain it. I just felt uncomfortable,” Jackson Reffitt told the court about his decision to tip off the FBI on Christmas Eve, just days before the protest.
In 2022, Guy Reffitt was sentenced to a little more than seven years in federal prison after he was accused of carrying a handgun during the protest. It was the longest sentence handed down to a January 6 defendant at the time of his sentencing.
Reffitt was convicted of a number of charges, though the bulk of his sentence was justified by his conviction of felony “Obstruction of an Official Proceeding,” a bogus charge used by Biden DOJ prosecutors to charge January 6 trespassers with felonies. The convoluted charge has since been thrown out by the Supreme Court.
Guy Reffitt’s sentence was also bolstered by hearsay given by his own son, who told the D.C. jury that his father threatened him.
Guy Reffitt will go to jail for more than 7 years for allegedly bringing a gun to Capitol grounds. He didn't fire a shot, assault anyone or enter the building.
Michael Byrd executed Ashli Babbitt inside the building. He not charged, still has his job and is a media hero.
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) August 1, 2022
Matthew Graves, the Biden campaign advisor and current DC US Atty, wants 15 years in prison for Guy Reffitt for protesting Joe Biden's election on Jan 6: pic.twitter.com/9wOigplwav
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) July 15, 2022
As Jackson Reffitt gave interviews with mainstream media outlets during his father’s trial, including CNN and MSNBC, he started a GoFundMe towards his college fund. As of this report, the fundraising campaign has raked in more than $200,000.
Now, Jackson Reffitt is giving interviews once again after an off-Broadway play that praises his decision to turn in his own father hit select theaters in New York City. The production was spotlighted by MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, who sat down with Jackson to discuss it.
When asked about President-elect Trump’s promise to pardon January 6 protesters, Jackson stated that he will “always be in danger.”
“You know, Trump has said that one of the biggest targets is the enemy within. And I’m sure from a lot of perspectives, such as Trump’s, I am one of those examples. So if my father and everyone involved in January 6 is released, I don’t know what else to think other than fear.”
O’Donnell followed up by asking whether prison could be helping Jackson’s father to “change” and “possibly come out wiser from that experience.”
“So one of the biggest regrets I have is being ignorant to the fact that he might have gotten back. He might, prison might have helped him. It might have pushed him away from those militias and those extreme groups, yet as time has gone on, it’s only he’s only gotten more radicalized in prison by being in like with like-minded people,” Jackson answered.
“I still love him, but that does not justify any of his actions, and it won’t if he continues to act like this. He gave me, he raised me to be the person I am today, the honest, the trustworthy person that I’ve become,” he went on to say.
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