On X, Jackson called the incident a 'life-threatening situation' and said he would 'always help someone in need'
Video shows officers wrestle Texas US Rep. Ronny Jackson to ground
Texas authorities have released a video showing officers wrestle US Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, to the ground and handcuff him. Jackson then swears at the officers and threatens to report them. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, has responded after authorities released a video Monday showing officers tackling him to the ground and placing him in handcuffs at a rodeo last month as he was attempting to assist a girl having a medical emergency. The video then shows the lawmaker profanely berating the officers and threatening to report them to the governor for what he later called their "incompetence."
The released body camera footage, a 31-minute video taken during an altercation at a rodeo in White Deer, shows Jackson, a trained ER physician, approaching a group of people crowding around a 15-year-old girl who authorities said was having a seizure.
Moments later, law enforcement officers physically dragged Jackson from the group, put him facedown and placed him in handcuffs before ultimately helping him to his feet. The teenager was put on a stretcher while the two-term Republican congressman and the state trooper shared a tense exchange of words.
"I’m glad the video is out," Jackson wrote on X after the incident. "It shows the incompetence of the authorities and their complete disregard for the young girl in distress. We have the best Sheriffs in the country here in the panhandle and north Texas. Unfortunately, the Sheriff in Carson County is not among them."
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In this screen grab from body camera footage released by The Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas is seen arguing with officers outside a rodeo near Amarillo, Texas, in July. (The Texas Department of Public Safety)
In another post, the former White House physician apologized for his language and added, "but I will not apologize for getting upset & speaking my mind considering the circumstances."
He also wrote, "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."
In the video, Jackson can be heard telling a state trooper that he was "going to call the governor tomorrow, and I’m going to talk to him about this (expletive), because this is (expletive) ridiculous."
Fox News Digital contacted Rep. Jackson’s office for additional comment but did not immediately receive a response.
State police released the video footage Monday, prompting a response from Jackson spokesperson Kate Lair, who reiterated the congressman's comments and said he was prevented from providing medical care to the teenager due to "overly aggressive and incompetent actions" by officers.
In this screen grab from body camera footage released by The Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas is seen arguing with officers outside a rodeo near Amarillo, Texas, in July. (The Texas Department of Public Safety)
"Congressman Jackson, as a trained ER physician, will not apologize for sparing no effort to help in a medical emergency, especially when the circumstances were chaotic and the local authorities refused to help the situation," Lair told The Associated Press.
Two people who reportedly witnessed the July interaction, Chris and Jodi Jordan, said they were at the rodeo and explained Jackson was trying to help the girl before medics arrived and that the deputies aggressively pulled him away.
"We were just appalled," said Chris Jordan, 48, of Hereford. "The slamming to the ground I didn’t understand whatsoever."
White Deer is a small town outside the panhandle city of Amarillo.
After the encounter, Carson County Sheriff Tam Terry, Jackson and the two officials further discussed the incident and potential repercussions for the involved officers.
The video shows Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson being taken to the ground by officers and profanely berating them. The congressman later said he was trying to help a person who needed medical care before officers intervened. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
According to the sheriff's report, Jackson told Terry there needed to be consequences for the deputies who had handcuffed him.
Terry also wrote Jackson said that "he would pull hell and high water and come and ‘bury me in the next election.’"
Jackson worked in the White House and gave a glowing review of then-President Donald Trump's health. After leaving the administration, he was first elected in 2020.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
