Donald Trump insurrection: Capitol Police officers sue ex-POTUS for injuries from riots

Former President Donald Trump is already facing several lawsuits and investigations that have been building up over his presidency and through the remaining months of his term. The former president is now faced with one more lawsuit, this time filed by two of the Capitol Police officers that were injured during the riots.

Two Capitol Police officers filed a lawsuit against Trump Tuesday at a US District Court in DC on charges of inciting an insurrection last January 6, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol to stop the certification of electoral votes.

The officers are also seeking compensation for the physical and emotional damages they sustained as a result. Veteran officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby filed the lawsuit against the former president, seeking $75,000 in damages each.

“This is a complaint for damages by US Capitol Police officers for physical and emotional injuries caused by the Defendant Donald Trump’s wrongful conduct inciting a riot on January 6, 2021, by his followers trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit also cites the former president’s conduct before, during, and after the elections, as well as his comments on both social media and in his speeches, including his remarks during the presidential debates. The lawsuit said that Trump was stoking violence all throughout his 2020 reelection campaign, escalating his false claim that the election was rigged after Joe Biden became the projected winner.

Blassingame and Hemby’s lawsuit is one of a few lawsuits that were filed against Trump surrounding the January 6 riots. Congressmen Eric Swalwell and Bennie Thompson also filed similar lawsuits accusing Trump of inciting the insurrection. Both Swalwell and Thompson’s lawsuits also name Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and extremist groups as defendants.

Trump has since denied responsibility for inciting the riots which lead to his second impeachment and permanent suspension from most social media platforms. In recent days, the former president has attempted to gloss over the events, saying that the rioters did not pose a threat despite video footage and the number of people injured or killed.

Trump’s former chief of staff Mick Mulvaney recently rejected the former president’s attempt to downplay the threat exhibited by the rioters during the insurrection.

“I was surprised to hear the President say that. Clearly, there were people who were behaving themselves, and then there were people who absolutely were not, but to come out and say that everyone was fine and there was no risk, that’s just manifestly false -- people died, other people were severely injured,” said Mulvaney.