Federal Lawsuit Accuses Trump, Giuliani of Conspiracy To Incite Capitol Riot
Last updated 02/16/2021 at 2:34 p.m. ET. A Democratic congressman accused former President Donald Trump, his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and two right-wing groups of conspiring to incite the deadly riot at the U.S…
Last updated 02/16/2021 at 2:34 p.m. ET.
A Democratic congressman accused former President Donald Trump, his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and two right-wing groups of conspiring to incite the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol in a lawsuit on Tuesday.
The civil lawsuit accuses the duo of violating the Ku Klux Klan Act, an 1871 law passed to crack down on the white supremacist organization, and is the latest legal attempt to find Trump responsible for the violence on Jan. 6, which came after he spent months falsely claiming his election defeat in November was the result of widespread fraud.
It also names as defendants the Proud Boys, a far-right organization, and the anti-government militia known as the “Oath Keepers.”
“The insurrection was the result of a carefully orchestrated plan by Trump, Giuliani and extremist groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, all of whom shared a common goal of employing intimidation, harassment and threats to stop the certification of the Electoral College,” according to a press release announcing the lawsuit.
The U.S. Senate on Saturday acquitted Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 riot, when 57 senators including seven Republicans voted to convict, short of the 67 votes needed.
Although most Republicans voted against convicting Trump, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell nonetheless made it clear he still felt Trump was responsible, saying: “There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day.”
Representative Bennie Thompson, a Democrat who chairs the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, is the named plaintiff on the suit in U.S. District Court in Washington.