Donald Trump is being sued again, this time by a group of seven Capitol Police officers who accused the former president of inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6th.
Though other suits naming Trump as an instigator of the mob that stormed Congress that day have been filed, this is the first to allege that the former president worked with far-right extremists and political organizers to spread misinformation about the presidential election, which led to the coordinated attack on the Capitol. Officers Conrad Smith, Danny McElroy, Byron Evans, Governor Latson, Melissa Marshall, Michael Fortune, and Jason Deroche named Trump along with allies like Roger Stone and groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers as the guilty parties responsible for trying to disrupt the peaceful transition of power earlier this year.
“Plaintiffs and their fellow law enforcement officers risked their lives to defend the Capitol from a violent, mass attack — an attack provoked, aided, and joined by Defendants in an unlawful effort to use force, intimidation, and threats to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 Presidential election,” the suit reads, via the New York Times. “Because of Defendants’ unlawful actions, Plaintiffs were violently assaulted, spat upon, tear-gassed, bear-sprayed, subjected to racial slurs and epithets, and put in fear for their lives. Plaintiff’s injuries, which Defendants caused, persist to this day.”
Earlier this summer, a handful of Capitol Police officers came forward to share their experiences trying to combat the violent mob during a congressional hearing but the suit contains even more horrific details from the individuals — five of whom are Black — forced to try to keep the peace that day. One officer recounted how rioters beat him and hurled racial slurs at him as they tried to breach the Senate chamber. Another shared how the mob struck him with batteries before assaulting him with mace and bear spray, causing his eyes to swell shut.
The suit comes as the Justice Department continues to investigate Trump’s role in the Jan. 6th insurrection and a newly-appointed Congressional committee has made requests for mountains of detailed records relating to the Trump administration’s involvement in the attempted coup.
(Via New York Times)