Tag: Trump insurrection

Two Capitol Police officers sue Trump for ‘physical and emotional injuries’ suffered in riots

Washington Post logo

Two Capitol Police officers who battled the mob of Donald Trump supporters that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 are suing the former president for the physical and emotional injuries they say they suffered in the attacks.

In a federal suit filed Tuesday in D.C., Officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby allege that for months, Trump rallied the insurrectionists with baseless election fraud claims that eventually culminated in the breach of the Capitol that left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer. About 140 police officers were injured, according to the police union, and two officers who had been on duty at the Capitol that day later died by suicide. 

“Both United States Capitol Police Officers reported for duty on January 6, 2021, without any suspicion that they would soon become the targets of Trump’s followers,” according to the suit. Continue reading.

Former Trump chief of staff calls ex-President’s Capitol riot claims ‘manifestly false’

CNN Logo

The former chief of staff to ex-President Donald Trump on Saturday pushed back against his former boss’ recent attempt to whitewash the history of the January 6 Capitol riot. 

Mick Mulvaney, who stepped down as Trump’s special envoy to Northern Ireland after the insurrection, called Trump’s comments that his supporters were “hugging and kissing” police officers and posed “zero threat,” despite widespread violence, “manifestly false.”

“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,” Mulvaney told CNN’s Pamela Brown on “Newsroom.” Continue reading.

FBI: Texas Man Hurled Lit Firecracker at Cops During Capitol Riot

The FBI arrested a Texas man on Friday who allegedly hurled a lit firecracker at police officers during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. David Judd, 35, has been charged with assaulting police, resisting or impeding officers, and civil disorder for what prosecutors describe as his attack against police guarding the Capitol building’s Lower West Terrace doors. Judd was taken into custody by the Dallas FBI field office on Friday morning. According to an affidavit, he was caught on surveillance footage joining other protesters in trying to shove their way through a line of police officers. He then allegedly helped other protesters use riot shields stolen from police to make a “shield wall” against officers before lighting a firecracker and throwing it at the line of officers.

A fellow member of the crowd was apparently so shocked by the move that they yelled: “You going to do that and run away! What the fuck.” According to the affidavit, that same unidentified person then notified others in the area that “he threw a firecracker, a big giant, what the…” In addition to being captured in footage from the riots, Judd also posted to social media before the rally boasting of having “a license to carry a firearm” before proclaiming it was time to “fight to save this country and support the greatest president,” federal prosecutors say. View the post here.

Dominion files $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News

Axios logo

Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit on Friday seeking $1.6 billion in damages against Fox News, arguing that the network knowingly spread misinformation about the company’s role in nonexistent voter fraud.

Why it matters: This is the first time Dominion has sued a media company in its efforts to collect billions in damages from pro-Trump figures who have pushed baseless conspiracy theories about its voting machines.

  • Dominion has previously sued Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, and the pro-Trump MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. All have appeared as guests on Fox News. Continue reading.

Scoop: House chamber hardened with bulletproof doors

Axios logo

The House chamber is being transformed into a massive safe room for members with the addition of bulletproof doors.

Why it matters: One of the most dramatic images from the Jan. 6 attack was Capitol Police officers inside the chamber holding protesters at bay by pointing their guns at them after they broke windows in the doors. The new doors will provide fresh fortification.

Details: An Axios reporter leaving the Capitol on Wednesday night saw workers removing doors on one of the double-doored entrances to the gallery one level above the floor of the chamber. Some members huddled there on Jan. 6. Continue reading.

Texas AG Ken Paxton refuses to release messages about attendance at pro-Trump rally before Jan. 6 insurrection

Raw Story Logo

The Texas attorney general’s office is attempting to withhold all messages Ken Paxton sent or received while in Washington for the pro-Donald Trump rally that devolved into a riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Several news organizations in Texas have requested copies of the attorney general’s work-related communications. The Texas Public Information Act guarantees the public’s right to government records — even if those records are stored on personal devices or online accounts of public officials.

After Paxton’s office refused to release copies of his emails and text messages, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, The Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, and The San Antonio Express-News are working together in an effort to obtain the documents and review Paxton’s open-records practices. Continue reading.

‘Close ally’ of Marjorie Taylor Greene caught on video inside the US Capitol on Jan 6

Raw Story Logo

CNN reported last month that “a close ally” of Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene partook in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Now, CNN reports that there’s footage showing Anthony Aguero inside the building on that day.

Aguero refused to say whether or not he was inside the building and claimed he went to the Capitol as an “independent journalist” to document the event, but videos reviewed by CNN’s KFile are the first visual confirmation that Aguero breached the building. He can be heard chanting “heave ho” as rioters were attempting to break in on the West Side of the Capitol.

Another video filmed immediately following the riot, Aguero said “a message was sent” by the rioters, later describing them as “patriots.” Continue reading.

Justice Dept. faces risks, rewards with riot sedition charges

The Hill logo

Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers face risks and rewards if they move forward with sedition charges against members of the mob that overran the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Many legal experts say sedition charges are a natural fit given what happened at the Capitol that day.

Hundreds of former President Trump’s supporters overwhelmed Capitol Police and interfered with Congress’s lawful certification of President Biden’s Electoral College victory. Five people were killed, including a Capitol Police officer, with dozens more injured. Continue reading.

The Justice Department Is Investigating Officials Who Talked To The Press About The Capitol Riot Investigation

Michael Sherwin, the former acting US Attorney in DC, had told media “the facts” support charging some Capitol rioters with sedition.

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has launched internal probes into a recent spate of apparently unauthorized comments to the media about the status of the Capitol insurrection investigation, a supervisor in the US Attorney’s office in Washington told a judge on Tuesday.

US District Judge Amit Mehta scheduled an emergency hearing to question the government about a March 21 broadcast of 60 Minutes featuring an interview with Michael Sherwin, the former acting US Attorney in Washington, DC, as well as a New York Times article published Monday that quoted anonymous law enforcement sources. Both reports addressed the government’s conspiracy case against 10 people associated with the Oath Keepers militia collective who are charged with participating in the insurrection; Mehta is presiding over that case.

John Crabb, the head of the Criminal Division in the DC US Attorney’s office, told Mehta it appeared that Sherwin had failed to comply with the department’s rules and policies that govern contacts with the press. Crabb said Sherwin had been referred to the Office of Professional Responsibility, which investigates misconduct allegations against DOJ lawyers and officials. Continue reading.

Evidence in Capitol attack investigation trending toward sedition charges, departing chief says

Washington Post logo

Former interim U.S. attorney Michael R. Sherwin, of Washington, reiterated Sunday that he thinks charges of seditious conspiracy could be brought against certain defendants in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, a rarely invoked charge for those who use violence to hinder the execution of federal law.

In a “60 Minutes” interview aired on CBS two days after he stepped down from supervising the investigation, Sherwin said, “I personally believe the evidence is trending toward that, and probably meets those elements.”

“I believe the facts do support those charges. And I think that, as we go forward, more facts will support that,” he said. Continue reading.