WASHINGTON — A newly-surfaced video appears to show Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R-Fredericksburg) near the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as rioters clashed with police, according to KVUE's partners at the Austin American-Statesman. The video was reportedly taken moments before the mob breached the building's outer barricades.
The video was shared to Parler, a social media platform used heavily by extremist conservatives, and the footage was included in a ProPublica project comprised of more than 500 videos uploaded to Parler on Jan. 6. The video of Biedermann is timestamped at 1 p.m. EST in the ProPublica project, minutes before the first barriers were breached, according to a USA Today timeline.
The video shows a crowd of people holding flags supporting former President Donald Trump and chanting "USA" outside the Capitol. Biedermann appears around the 29-second mark.
According to the Statesman, no videos or photos have surfaced showing Biedermann inside the Capitol and he did not respond to a request for comment.
Biedermann was one of three Texas officials known to be in Washington, D.C., for the Jan. 6 "Save America Rally" in support of Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud, according to the Statesman. The congressman told the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung days later that he was in the nation's capital for a "peaceful protest."
The Statesman reports that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton spoke at the rally, alongside his wife, State Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney). Neither of the Paxtons have been spotted in photos or videos taken near the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The Texas Democratic Party called on Biedermann to resign after it was confirmed that he was in Washington on the day of the riot, the Statesman reports. As for Ken Paxton, the Texas House Democratic Caucus has said the Texas Legislature must "thoroughly investigate" the attorney general's role in the insurrection at the Capitol "and hold him accountable for it," the Statesman reports.
Biedermann made headlines earlier in this year's legislative session when he filed a bill that would allow Texans to vote on whether the Texas Legislature should create a joint interim committee to develop a plan for achieving Texas independence.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: