1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
What happened
A federal jury in Texas yesterday cleared five of six defendants in a civil lawsuit accusing them of violating federal law by boxing in a Joe Biden campaign bus as it drove up I-35 in October 2020, forcing the bus to a crawl and the campaign to cancel events in San Marcos and Austin. The sixth "Trump Train" defendant, Eliazar Cisneros, was found liable of violating the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. He was ordered to pay $10,000 in compensatory damages to the bus driver and $30,000 in punitive damages to the plaintiffs.
Who said what
The plaintiffs, including bus driver Timothy Holloway and former Texas lawmaker Wendy Davis (D), argued that the six drivers in the caravan of trucks waving Donald Trump flags conspired to intimidate the Biden surrogates to curb their political activities. The defendants said they were just exercising their free-speech rights when they surrounded the bus on the interstate. Cisneros was filmed side-swiping a Biden campaign volunteer's SUV.
"Both plaintiffs and defendants claimed Monday's verdict as a victory," The Texas Tribune said. Holloway called it a "very good outcome" that hopefully "discourages people from doing things in the name of politics that endanger lives," and shows "there are legal consequences for perpetrators of threats and intimidation."
What next?
The case, "even with its mixed result," could be used as a "road map" for those "weighing KKK Act claims, especially in challenges seeking to punish Trump supporters," CNN said. A lawyer for Cisneros said they would appeal the verdict to the conservative U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
What might be next for Trump if he loses the 2024 election?
Today's Big Question The former president has said he will likely not run again in 2028
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
FBI: US violent crime falls again, hits pre-Covid levels
Speed Read A wide-ranging report found that violent crime dropped 3% in the last year, while murder dropped 11.6%
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How a kidnapped pilot put Free Papua movement in the spotlight
Under the Radar New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens was held for 19 months, drawing international attention to violent insurgency in Indonesia
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What might be next for Trump if he loses the 2024 election?
Today's Big Question The former president has said he will likely not run again in 2028
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon kill at least 492
Speed Read It was the deadliest day between Israel and Hezbollah in decades
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'This is exhausting'
Opinion Donald Trump speaks on stage in Washington, D.C.
By Susan Caskie Published
-
Who is leading in the polls?
In the Spotlight Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are neck and neck
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How the 2024 election set the Teamsters on a collision course with their own union
The traditionally Democrat-leaning group broke decades of precedent with overtures to the GOP, capping with a refusal to endorse any candidate for the White House. It is a decision that is not sitting well with many rank and file members
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is Trump associate Laura Loomer?
In the Spotlight Why Republicans are nervous that their nominee is taking advice from a conspiracy theorist
By David Faris Published
-
Will Harris or Trump fix the national debt?
Today's Big Question Both candidates have big spending plans
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Sri Lanka veers left, elects Marxist
Speed Read Newly elected president Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of a Marxist party, promised to fight corruption
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published