A trial commenced on Monday in Austin, Texas, to address allegations that supporters of former President Donald Trump engaged in a harrowing and potentially life-threatening confrontation with a Biden-Harris campaign bus on a Texas highway in the final days of the 2020 presidential election.
The lawsuit, which names six defendants, accuses them of violating the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act by allegedly terrorizing and intimidating the bus driver and passengers for over 90 minutes, forcing the bus to make evasive maneuvers to avoid collisions, and causing significant emotional distress to those on board.
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The incident, which occurred on October 30, 2020, involved a convoy of vehicles, dubbed the “Trump Train,” that encircled the Biden-Harris campaign bus as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin. The plaintiffs, including former Texas state senator Wendy Davis, a campaign volunteer, a staff member, and the bus driver, claim that the Trump supporters played a reckless game of “highway chicken,” coming within inches of the bus and attempting to force it off the road.
The trial, presided over by Judge Robert Pitman, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, will examine whether the defendants’ actions constituted a breach of the Ku Klux Klan Act, which prohibits political violence and intimidation. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and aims to hold the defendants accountable for their alleged actions, which the plaintiffs argue were a clear affront to democratic ideals and free speech rights.
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