Former President Donald Trump may be prosecuted for his role in the attack on the Capitol by a group of his followers, a judge decided this Friday, ruling that the Republican does not enjoy presidential immunity in this case.
Trump He is the target of several lawsuits by elected officials and police accusing him of being directly responsible for the violence perpetrated by his supporters when they stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
A city judge Washington ruled that these complaints were admissible on the grounds that Trump’s actions that day were “unofficial acts” that “entirely concern his efforts to remain in office for a second term,” which, according to the judge, does not enter into the scope of presidential immunity.
“Denying presidential immunity from civil damages is no small feat,” Justice Amit Mehta wrote in his 112-page recommendation. “The court understands very well the seriousness of its decision.”
The judge also said that the speech of Trump before thousands of his followers gathered in Washington before the assault could “reasonably” be perceived as “a call for collective action”.
The role of the former president is also examined by a Select Committee of the House of Representativeswhich has in its possession hundreds of pages with records, text messages and testimonies that Trump tried to hide, according to the head of the investigation.
The Republican billionaire has criticized the investigation as a “witch hunt”.
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