Kerrville couple finds themselves in the middle of Capitol protests

A Kerrville couple was in the middle of Wednesday’s pro-President Trump protests at the U.S. Capitol Building, and they are the first to admit they were proud to be there. 

Leigh and David Gibson flew to Washington D.C. on Tuesday to participate in rallies to support President Trump, who is still fighting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Of course, Wednesday was the day that Congress was going to certify the Electoral College but that was delayed when hundreds of people stormed the U.S. Capitol. 

There has been plenty of blame placed on Trump for what happened at the Capitol, but the Gibsons see it differently. 

“We are not incited by (Trump),” Leigh Gibson said. “We have done our own homework. We are not stupid. In fact, I left his speech early because he’s not telling us anything new. So, we headed out. We marched from the Washington Monument to the Capitol, and that’s when my mother called me and said they’ve breached the Capitol. We just kept marching.”

It was during that speech that Trump had encouraged people to march on the Capitol. For the last few weeks, it was well known that there were going to be protests over the Electoral College certification as Joe Biden as president. Trump has alleged widespread fraud in the election. 

The Gibsons are staunch supporters and believe there was fraud involved. That’s not a view that is shared by all, including other Republicans. 

While the Gibsons were marching on Wednesday, a chaotic scene was emerging inside of the Capitol building, where protesters had swept their way past Capitol Police. Protesters made their way into the Senate chambers and into Congressional offices. A San Diego woman was shot in killed inside the Capitol. The Gibsons said there’s no way those who pushed their way past the police were Trump supporters. 

“It’s absolutely (anti-fascists),” Leigh Gibson said. 

“It was absolutely ANTIFA,” David Gibson said. “They’re staying at our hotel.” 

That assertion is being argued by media coverage and social media-driven conspiracy. 

By the time the Gibson’s reached the Capitol building, they were grouped with hundreds of people on the steps where Joe Biden is expected to inaugurated as president on Jan. 20. Leigh Gibson said the people around her were singing “Amazing Grace” and sharing food with each other, but they believed they were fighting for the country. 

“We were somber and we were mellow,” Leigh said. 

While they were mellow, the Gibsons were soon caught up in the counter-assault by law enforcement to retake the Capitol and were exposed to tear gas, which they say was used to disperse the crowd. 

For the last few months, Leigh Gibson, a former reporter at The Kerrville Daily Times, has done everything possible to support Trump and other Republican candidates, including hosting a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who represents most of the Hill Country in the House of Representatives. 

“Chip Roy is not going to listen to me,” said Leigh Gibson, adding that she believes Roy should face a primary challenge. Roy, who is a staunch Trump supporter, declined to join other House Republicans in objecting to the Electoral College certification. 

“(Roy) doesn’t care,” she said. “There are people who want to primary him.”

In recent weeks, she has traveled to Florida and Georgia and made a previous trip to Washington, D.C. to rally in support of the president, but she says a change in the Republican Party. 

“This is not about being Republicans anymore,’’ she said. “I think there will be one of two things: we will primary out Republicans and keep the name, or we will make up some new name. We are going home to primary whoever we can. We will not forget.”