Joe Biden campaigners have managed to wring $175,000 from the small Texas city of San Marcos, after bringing lawsuits claiming it violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 by not providing a Biden campaign bus with a police escort. ‘Trump Train Texas’ members drove alongside the bus in 2020, waving American, Texan, and Trump flags and honking their horns. The Biden campaigners claimed in the suit that they felt intimidated.
“Our clients have achieved an important victory for free and fair elections by holding to account law enforcement who refuse to protect them from harassment,” suggested lawyer John Paredes, who represented plaintiffs Wendy Davis, a former state representative who was running for Congress in 2020, former Biden campaign staffer David Gins, Biden campaign volunteer Eric Cervini, and bus driver Timothy Holloway.
“We must be able to rely on law enforcement to protect the fundamental right of every American, regardless of political beliefs, to support and advocate for the candidate of their choice and engage in the peaceful process of democracy,” Paredes added.
Law enforcement officers and support staff must also receive training on political violence and voter intimidation as part of the settlement.
A separate lawsuit alleging eight people involved in the Trump Train engaged in a “politically motivated conspiracy” is ongoing.