Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his role in the attack on the United States Congress by his supporters, a judge said on Friday, saying that the Republican billionaire did not enjoy presidential immunity in this case. The former American president is the target of several complaints from elected officials and police who accuse him of being directly responsible for the violence perpetrated by activists in Congress on January 6, 2021.
A Washington judge ruled on Friday that these complaints were admissible, on the grounds that Donald Trump’s actions that day were “unofficial acts”, entirely dedicated “to his attempts to remain in office for a second term”. , which according to him does not fall within the scope of presidential immunity.
“Refusing a president immunity from civil suits is not a trivial decision”, he underlines in a 112-page text, in a particularly virulent tone. “The court is well aware of the seriousness of its approach. Judge Amit Mehta also believes that Donald Trump’s speech to his thousands of supporters gathered in Washington before the assault can “reasonably” be perceived as a “call for collective action”.
A “witch hunt”, according to Trump
Shortly following the White House tenant’s speech, a crowd waving “TRUMP 2020” flags rushed to the seat of the US Congress, with hundreds of people forcibly entering the Capitol grounds. Donald Trump was then criticizing his vice-president on Twitter for not blocking the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, which the judge said constitutes a “tacit agreement” with those who forced the entrance to the Capitol.
The former president is the subject of three complaints for his responsibility in this assault. The role of Donald Trump in the assault on the Capitol is at the same time scrutinized by a parliamentary committee, the threat of which is becoming more and more pressing. It has in its possession hundreds of pages of documents, text messages and testimonies, some of which “that the former president had hoped to keep hidden” according to the elected officials at the head of this investigation. The billionaire describes his work as a “witch hunt”.