REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Donald Trump can be sued by police officers over the violent Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the Justice Department’s civil division said in a court filing Thursday.
The former president does not have immunity from civil lawsuits brought by Capitol Police and others over the riot in which MAGA sycophants tried to violently overthrow the government, the filing said.
The brief was submitted as part of a lawsuit filed by two Capitol cops and 11 Democratic House lawmakers that sought to hold Trump liable for the psychological and physical injuries they suffered as a result of the riot. They filed the suit under the archaic Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which makes it a federal crime to “conspire to prevent, by force, intimidation, or threat” officials from holding office or carrying out their official duties.