Goosehead Insurance has parted ways with an associate general counsel after he appeared to participate in Wednesday’s breach of the U.S. Capitol and livestreamed video of his presence at the event.
Goosehead CEO and co-founder Mark Jones confirmed Paul Davis’ firing in an internal email obtained by Bloomberg Law. Davis did not respond to multiple requests for comment Thursday.
Jones wrote the company was not aware of Davis’ plans to be part of the “violent demonstration.”
“While we support our employees’ right to vote and express themselves politically, we do not condone violent or illegal acts. This one former employee’s actions are not reflective of our company culture or values, and we are disappointed with his behavior,” Jones said in the Thursday morning message to employees. “Thankfully, we have the cherished rights of assembly and free speech, but those rights do not—and cannot—extend to violence in any form.”
The insurance company also tweeted about Davis’ exit.
The Westlake, Texas-based company’s announcement came after Davis posted livestreamed videos to his Instagram account that place him outside the Capitol building during Wednesday’s violence.
Salon staff writer Roger Sollenberger tagged the company in a separate Tweet containing Davis’ livestreams. The video has been viewed over 1.2 million times as of Thursday morning.
A crowd of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building after President Trump reiterated his statements that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged.” The disruption temporarily delayed the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college victory.
“We’re all trying to get into the Capitol to stop this,” Davis said in one clip. He also said he was teargassed and suggested the presidential election was illegitimate and called for an audit of the votes.
Those who broke into the Capitol were called “domestic terrorists” and “thugs” by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), respectively, after the Capitol was secured Wednesday evening and the election’s certification resumed.
The unrest led to at least four deaths and more than a dozen injuries. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued evening curfews for the area.
Davis is a 2011 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, according to his Texas Bar Association profile. He worked for law firm Clark Hill for about a year before leaving in June 2020, according to Clark Hill’s director of marketing Roy Sexton.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ruiqi Chen in Washington, D.C. at rchen@bloombergindustry.com
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