The Trial of the Century begins this morning. The Associated Press ran the story yesterday, headlined “Trial begins over Texas 'Trump Train' highway confrontation.”
Four years ago in October, 2020, a convoy of excited Trump supporters escorted a Biden-Harris campaign bus through Texas. Neither Biden nor Harris was aboard, but Wendy Davis was riding along. Wendy was a longshot candidate running against Chip Roy (R-Tx.) for Congress. (She lost. Badly.)
Local police refused to arrest the Trump drivers, even though the bus passengers, especially Wendy, sobbed that they felt constantly terrified, definitely intimidated, and were nearly driven off the road several times, creating what they said was a justified fear of imminent death. The groups cross-claimed about each other’s bad language, poor driving, obscene gestures, and traded blame for a minor fender-bender between one of the Trump-supporting trucks and a Davis staffer’s nearby SUV.
A month later, the FBI investigated the “Trump Trainers” and did its best to see if any federal crimes applied, but nobody was charged.
After the election, Ms. Davis, a Biden staffer, and the bus driver sued the Trump Trainers in federal court, alleging civil assault and deprivation of rights under a post-Civil War law aimed at the KKK and Southern Democrats. The antique law, not used since the 1800’s, was meant to stop Democrats and Klansmen from intimidating black folks and the white people supporting them.
In this case, nobody’s alleged any racial motives, and the judge previously ruled race didn’t matter, saying the law was meant to stop all political intimidation, not just KKK-style hijinx. That may be where the case gets interesting, since the judge has interpreted the stale legislation essentially as a hate-speech law.
Of course, the defendants argue their vehicular escort was an exercise of their First Amendment free speech. We’ll see what the Texas jury thinks.
☕️ KKKAT LADIES ☙ Monday, September 9, 2024 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠
Trump train trial takes off; unexpected CNN roundup of bad Ukraine news paints grim picture; tiny Ohio town takes the lead in immigrant wars; stream of unexpected Elon support from the left; more.
www.coffeeandcovid.com
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