In new lawsuit, Capitol Police officers accuse Trump of sweeping plot to disrupt transfer of power – By Kerry Eleveld (Daily Kos) / Aug 26 2021
Seven Capitol Police officers filed a lawsuit Thursday against Donald Trump and some 20 far-right extremist leaders, alleging a coordinated plot on Jan. 6 to thwart the peaceful transition to a new administration.
The suit is one of several civil lawsuits now targeting Trump and his allies, but according to The New York Times, it takes a long view at the steps leading up to the Capitol siege, starting with Trump’s claim in May 2020 that mail-in voting would “lead to massive fraud.” The suit also makes the case that Trump coordinated with right-wing groups and other political operatives to promote disinformation and sow doubt about the 2020 results.
“This is probably the most comprehensive account of Jan. 6 in terms of civil cases,” Edward Caspar, the lead attorney on the suit filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told the Times. “It spans from the former president to militants around him to his campaign supporters.”
Specifically, the suit names Trump ally Roger Stone along with leaders of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers militia, and others. The suit argues that Trump and his allies violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 that prohibits the use of conspiracies to block Congress from performing its constitutional duties.
