WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of U.S. Capitol police officers who were attacked and beaten on Jan. 6 are filing a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and others, accusing them of provoking the riot to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The New York Times and USA Today report that seven Capitol officers are suing Trump, associates like Roger Stone, and members of far-right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers for their roles in the attack.
The civil lawsuit obtained by those publications alleges that Trump and the other defendants in the case conspired with each other and others to prevent the Electoral College certification “through the use of force, intimidation, and threats.”
“Trump and other defendants propagated false claims of election fraud, encouraged the use of force, intimidation, and threats, and incited violence against members of Congress and law enforcement officers whose job it was to protect them,” the officers allege in the suit.
The officers claim the actions of Trump and the other defendants violated the federal Ku Klux Klan Act, the D.C. Bias-Related Crimes Act, and other laws with their actions leading up to the riot and during it.
Similar lawsuits have been filed in recent months, but The Times reports that this suit is the first to allege that Trump worked in concert with far-right extremists and political organizers to promote baseless claims of voter fraud in the election.
Veteran Capitol police officer Jason DeRoche is among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. He told USA Today that the point of the complaint isn’t about winning a financial settlement, but instead to set the record straight about what happened on Jan. 6 and make sure it never happens again.
