The ex-president donald trump can be sued by injured Capitol Police officers and by Democratic lawmakers due to the assault on the capitol of the US on January 6, 2021, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
In court documents, the Justice Department told a federal appeals court in Washington that it should allow the lawsuits to go forward, rejecting Trump’s argument that he is immune from the lawsuits.
Breaking news: Former president Donald Trump can be held liable in court for the actions of the mob that overtook the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the Justice Department said Thursday. https://t.co/hx80gGBLaq
—The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 2, 2023
The department said it takes no position on claims in the lawsuits that the former president’s words incited the attack on the Capitol. However, Justice lawyers argued to the court that a president would not be protected by “absolute immunity” if his words were found to have been “incitement to imminent violence.”
The text was submitted by lawyers in the Justice Department’s Civil Division and is not related to a separate criminal investigation conducted by a special counsel for the Department. The issue is Trump may be criminally charged for his efforts to undo President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that he was acting within the bounds of his official duties and had no intention of provoking violence when he called on thousands of supporters to “march on Capitol Hill” and “fight like crazy” before the riots broke out. .
“The actions of the rioters do not strip President Trump of immunity,” his lawyers wrote in court documents. “In the lead up to and on January 6, President Trump was acting well within the scope of ordinary presidential action when he engaged in open discussion and debate about the integrity of the 2020 election.”
USA: Committee that investigated the assault on the Capitol cancels the summons to Donald Trump
A Trump spokesman said Thursday that the president “repeatedly called for peace, patriotism and respect for our men and women who enforce the law” on January 6 and that the courts “should rule in favor of President Trump shortly.” and dismiss these frivolous statements.” litigation.”
The case is one of many legal problems facing Trump as he prepares another run for the White House in 2024.
