Republican in Texas House says he marched in D.C. before Capitol riot

TX – State Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, confirmed in an email Thursday that he joined thousands of President Donald Trump’s supporters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 before a violent insurrection at the Capitol left five people dead.

As the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung reported, Biedermann said he was in D.C. for a “peaceful protest” against certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

Now, Biedermann is being called on to resign by Abhi Rahman, a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party.

Shortly after the “Save America” rally, a mob attacked the Capitol. The riot delayed the certification of the Electoral College results, forced lawmakers to shelter in place and left five people dead, including one Capitol Police officer. Biedermann said he marched peacefully, and there are no signs that he marched to or entered the Capitol.

“On Jan. 6, I, along with thousands of Americans, peacefully marched on our nation’s Capitol to make our voices heard,” Biedermann said in an email Thursday, according to the Herald-Zeitung. “It was unfortunate that some used this gathering to sow discord and promote violence.”

Biedermann could not be reached for further comment.

San Antonio’s KSAT-TV reported that he told Dallas-Fort Worth talk radio host Chris Salcedo on Jan. 7, one day after the riot, that “a few radicals … caused the trouble” at the Capitol.

“We came because we wanted to be heard and we’re sick and tired of what’s been going on by the elite media and the elite politicians who continually ignore us,” Biedermann told Salcedo.

In a statement issued to The Dallas Morning News, Rahman urged Texas Republicans including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to call for Biedermann’s resignation. “This is the difference between right and wrong,” Rahman said. “We’ll see what side of history Texas Republicans choose to stand on.”

“Kyle Biedermann attended a rally and participated in domestic terrorism. Full stop,” Rahman said. “He must resign from the Texas Legislature immediately, and short of that, be expelled. It’s time for Texas Republicans to put up or shut up. They either support domestic terrorists or they don’t.”

Other Texas Republicans at the pro-Trump rally included state Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton of Dallas. Ken Paxton spoke during the rally, saying, “What we have in President Trump is a fighter. And I think that’s why we’re all here. We believe in what he’s accomplished over the last four years. Because we’re here today, the message goes on. We will not quit fighting.”

There has also been a push from Texas Democrats to investigate the attorney general’s actions leading up to the Capitol attack. Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, asked the Legislature last week to “thoroughly investigate” Paxton’s role in inciting the riot.

“From filing a fraudulent lawsuit that fueled unhinged conspiracy theories about a free and fair election, to egging on the crowd of insurrectionists in Washington, DC, Paxton has played a major role in creating the national crisis that culminated with the first breach of our nation’s capital since the War of 1812,” Turner said in a written statement.

In Washington on Wednesday, the House impeached Trump with a 232-197 vote. It was the second impeachment of Trump in just over two years. All 13 Texas Democrats voted to impeach, as they did in December 2019, while 22 Republicans voted no. Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth, the only Texan who didn’t vote, later told The Dallas Morning News that she would have voted no had she not been in coronavirus quarantine.

On Jan. 8, two days after the insurrection, Biedermann tweeted: “The politicians in DC are out of touch with the voices of God fearing Americans and with the radical nature of the Democrat Party, it only renews my resolve to fight to give Texans the right to vote on #Texit.”