Current:Home > InvestTexas jury clears most ‘Trump Train’ drivers in civil trial over 2020 Biden-Harris bus encounter-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Texas jury clears most ‘Trump Train’ drivers in civil trial over 2020 Biden-Harris bus encounter
View Date:2024-12-23 21:15:47
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal jury in Texas on Monday cleared a group of former President Donald Trump supporters and found one driver liable in a civil trial over a so-called “Trump Train” that surrounded a Biden-Harris campaign bus days before the 2020 election.
The two-week trial in a federal courthouse in Austin centered on whether the actions of the “Trump Train” participants amounted to political intimidation. Among those aboard the bus was former Democratic lawmaker Wendy Davis, who testified she feared for her life while a convoy of Trump supporters boxed in the bus along Interstate 35.
The jury awarded $10,000 to the bus driver.
No criminal charges were filed against the six Trump supporters who were sued by Davis and two others aboard the bus. Civil rights advocates hoped a guilty verdict would send a clear message about what constitutes political violence and intimidation.
On Oct. 20, 2020, a Biden-Harris campaign bus was traveling from San Antonio to Austin for an event when a group of cars and trucks waving Trump flags surrounded the bus.
Video that Davis recorded from the bus shows pickup trucks with large Trump flags slowing down to box in the bus as it tried to move away from the group of Trump supporters. One of the defendants hit a campaign volunteer’s car while the trucks occupied all lanes of traffic, forcing the bus and everyone around it to a 15 mph crawl.
It was the last day of early voting in Texas and the bus was scheduled to stop at San Marcos for an event at Texas State University.
The event was canceled after Davis and others on the bus — a campaign staffer and the driver — made repeated calls to 911 asking for a police escort through San Marcos and no help arrived.
Davis testified that she felt scared and anxious throughout the ordeal. “I feel like they were enjoying making us afraid,” she testified. “It’s traumatic for all of us to revisit that day.”
veryGood! (465)
Related
- Why Jersey Shore's Jenni JWoww Farley May Not Marry Her Fiancé Zack Clayton
- Claim of NASCAR bias against white men isn't just buffoonery. It's downright dangerous.
- Proof Nick Carter’s Love of Fatherhood Is Larger Than Life
- How Notre Dame blew it against Clemson, lost chance at New Year's Six bowl game
- Jessica Simpson's Husband Eric Johnson Steps Out Ringless Amid Split Speculation
- A Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in Crimea damages a Russian ship
- Biden spent weeks of auto strike talks building ties to UAW leader that have yet to fully pay off
- Inside The Last Chapter Book Shop, Chicago's all romance bookstore
- College football Week 12 expert picks for every Top 25 game include SEC showdowns
- Indiana police investigate shooting that left 3 people dead
Ranking
- 2025 NFL Draft order: Updated first round picks after Week 10 games
- Over 4,000 baby loungers sold on Amazon recalled over suffocation, entrapment concerns
- Why was daylight saving time started? Here's what you need to know.
- Some houses are being built to stand up to hurricanes and sharply cut emissions, too
- Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper Prove They're Going Strong With Twinning Looks on NYC Date
- Is love in the air? Travis Kelce asked if he's in love with Taylor Swift. Here's what he said.
- Supreme Court agrees to hear case over ban on bump stocks for firearms
- We knew Tommy Tuberville was incompetent, but insulting leader of the Marines is galling
Recommendation
-
Sports are a must-have for many girls who grow up to be leaders
-
Chelsea’s Emma Hayes expected to become US women’s soccer coach, AP source says
-
Humanoid robots are here, but they’re a little awkward. Do we really need them?
-
Summer House's Carl Radke Defends Decision to Call Off Wedding to Lindsay Hubbard
-
Louisiana House greenlights Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax cuts
-
Taylor Swift's Night Out With Selena Gomez, Sophie Turner, Brittany Mahomes and More Hits Different
-
Claim of NASCAR bias against white men isn't just buffoonery. It's downright dangerous.
-
Maine mass shooter was alive for most of massive 2-day search, autopsy suggests