About two weeks ago I wrote about a strange story of Rep. Ronny Jackson’s (R-TX) evening at a Texas rodeo. The former White House physician to Presidents Obama and Trump was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed in a skirmish with a state trooper.

At the time, all that was known, or at least all that was made public of the incident, was that Jackson was at the White Deer Rodeo on the night of July 29. He was summoned to help with a medical emergency involving a teenage girl before first responders arrived on the scene.  During the chaos of the emergency, Jackson ended up being detained by a state trooper.

Bodycam footage was released from that incident on Monday, provided by the Department of Public Safety.

DPS released the 31-minute bodycam video — and a shorter dashcam video — Monday in response to an open records request from The Texas Tribune. There is no audio during parts of the videos, something DPS acknowledged in a letter to the Tribune without providing a reason. DPS also blurred out images of the person receiving medical care.

The dashcam video provides another angle of Jackson furiously confronting the trooper before leaving the rodeo. The video contains audio of the confrontation, which occurred near the hood of the trooper’s car, but country music drowns out the voices. One of the songs is “Irish Goodbye” by Treaty Oak Revival.

The videos confirm most of the general narrative of a report released Friday by the sheriff, Terry. However, Jackson in the video — as well as two witnesses — dispute that he was appropriately notified that he needed to back away for EMS.

 

The report released on Friday states that Jackson cursed at the troopers and threatened one trooper’s job. The bodycam has cursing and it also has spots without audio. It includes accounts from several officers who responded to the scene. Jackson is alleged to have threatened Sheriff Terry politically later in a phone call.

Jackson said he was pleased that the video was released. He said he will apologize for his language but not his actions. He asserts that he was prevented from giving medical care “due to overly aggressive and incompetent actions” by local authorities.

I will apologize for my language, but I will not apologize for getting upset & speaking my mind considering the circumstances. If I had to do it again, I would still step up & act in a life-threatening situation. I will ALWAYS help someone in need. I WILL NOT apologize for that.

— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) August 15, 2023

About 16 and a half minutes into the bodycam video, Jackson and other people are crouched over the person experiencing the medical emergency when the trooper appears to gesture toward Jackson to get back. Jackson eventually rises up and appears to be confronting the trooper angrily and is then led away from the trooper. Less than a half-minute later, the video shows two officers taking Jackson to the ground and handcuffing him, holding him to the ground with his face down. It is not until 50 seconds later that Jackson is shown standing again. There is no audio during that part.

Jackson denies that a trooper told him to get back, to move away from the teenager.

Jackson told Young that he was trying to help and explained that he is an emergency room doctor. Young said he understood but that Jackson needed to listen to his commands. Young said he understood that Jackson was trying to help but he had EMS on the way to the scene. Jackson got on his knees to help the teenager and the trooper said someone was trying to put something in her mouth.

That comment about putting something in her mouth referred to Jackson trying to put a gumball in the teen’s mouth to elevate her blood sugar. Jackson thought she might be hypoglycemic. Young disagreed and said she was anemic. Jackson disagreed and told Young he didn’t have the medical knowledge to know that.

What a mess.

Jackson left and when he was off-camera, someone around Young asked who that man was. Another person said, “Someone said he’s a senator.” Young didn’t seem to know Jackson.

Two witnesses vouched for Jackson. They said he didn’t receive adequate notice that he needed to back away before he was apprehended. They also said Jackson never saw the EMS.

So, there we are. His office said that Jackson was not drinking at the rodeo. The sheriff’s report challenges that, though.