WASHINGTON, DC —
Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his role in the attack on the US
Capitol by his supporters, a judge decided Friday, ruling that the Republican
does not enjoy presidential immunity in this case.
اضافة اعلان
The former
president is the target of several lawsuits by elected officials and police who
accuse him of being directly responsible for the violence perpetrated by his
supports when they stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
A judge in
Washington, DC, 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 the judge said does not
fall within the scope of presidential immunity.
“To deny a
President immunity from civil damages is no small step,” judge Amit Mehta wrote
in findings that ran to 112 pages. “The court well understands the gravity of
its decision.”
The judge also
said Trump’s speech to thousands of supporters gathered in Washington before
the assault could “reasonably” be perceived as a “call for collective action.”
Shortly after Trump
addressed his supporters, a crowd waving “TRUMP 2020” flags marched down the
Mall to the seat of the US Congress, with hundreds forcing their way into the
Capitol building.
At the same time,
Trump took to Twitter to criticize his vice president Mike Pence for not
blocking certification of
Joe Biden’s election victory, an act the judge said
constituted “tacit agreement” with those who stormed the Capitol.
The former
president is the subject of three lawsuits accusing him of responsibility in
the Capitol riot.
His role on that
day is also being examined by a
House of Representatives select committee,
which has in its possession hundreds of pages of documents, text messages and
testimonies, some of which the head of the probe said Trump had sought to keep
hidden.
The billionaire
former president has slammed the investigation as a “witch hunt.”
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