Trucker protest leaders meet with lawmakers

While roughly 1,000 protesters in trucks decked with American flags returned to drive around the Washington Beltway for the third consecutive day, eight representatives went to the U.S. Capitol to meet with Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis. During the nearly two-hour discussion, leaders said they will continue to protest on the Beltway until their demands are met. Organizers negotiated to allow an independent media videographer to livestream the entire meeting.

What did they talk about? They asked for Congress to lift the national emergency declaration, remove all mask and vaccine mandates, and start an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and the state and local government response to the pandemic. Attendee Chris Marston, chairman of the American Foundation for Civil Liberties and Freedom, called the convoy a spiritual awakening to a pandemic of unchecked power. Co-founder and Ohio trucker Brian Brase argued mandates and restrictions violate God-given rights. Cruz responded, “It’s not the job of some petty government tyrant to force [vaccination] on you.” Cruz and Johnson did not promise any further action but agreed with the convoy’s positions. Brase said the group had further meetings on Tuesday and hope to have more throughout the week.

Dig deeper: Read my on-the-ground report in The Stew on how the convoy got to this point.