Donald Trump could be held accountable in court for the actions of his supporters during the attack on Congress on January 6, 2021.
The US Department of Justice has given the green light to appeal two Capitol police officers, supported by 11 Democratic lawmakers, to demand compensation from the former president for injuries and psychological damage caused by the revolt.
Trump has argued that the immunity accorded a president in the performance of his duties protects him from appeal. However, the Justice Department’s civil litigation office took a different view, saying that presidential immunity, which also extends to “their public communications, does not include incitement to private violence.”
The appeal cites the Ku Klux Klan’s law against racist violence, drafted immediately after the civil war, which allows for claims for damages if officials are prevented from doing their job through violence, threats or intimidation.