Members of Congress are suing Trump, Giuliani, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers

Jessica Marie Watkins (2nd from L) and Donovan Ray Crowl (center), both from Ohio, march with the militia group Oath Keepers among the supporters of US President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington the steps of the Eastern Front of the US Capitol Down Both have since been charged by federal authorities for their roles in the siege of the U.S. Capitol.

Jim Bourg | Reuters

Ten other Democratic Congressmen joined a federal lawsuit on Wednesday accusing former President Donald Trump, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and several far-right groups of conspiring to spark the deadly January 6 uprising in the Capitol.

The lawsuit, first filed by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., And the NAACP, accuses the defendants of violating a federal law by inciting violence to prevent Congress from electing president Joe Biden confirmed. The cited law, the Ku Klux Klan Act, was first used in the late 19th century to target the racist KKK for its violence against black Americans and its intimidation against members of Congress from the South.

In addition to Trump and Giuliani, the suit names extremist groups the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and War Boys as defendants.

The Members of the House who joined the lawsuit are: California Representatives Karen Bass, Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters; Steve Cohen from Tennessee; Bonnie Watson Coleman from New Jersey; Veronica Escobar from Texas; Hank Johnson Jr. of Georgia; Marcy Kaptur from Ohio; Jerry Nadler from New York; and Pramila Jayapal from Washington state.

An amended version of the lawsuit, which added the new members of the House of Representatives as plaintiffs and made additional allegations, has been filed in the US District Court in Washington DC for Future and Unspecified Financial Damage.

The Capitol riot began shortly after Trump, Giuliani, and other supporters of the then-President addressed thousands of people at a rally outside the White House encouraging people to help them fight Biden’s affirmation as president.

Trump and his lawyers falsely claimed for months that he was pulled out of an election victory by widespread election fraud in several states.

Five people died as a result of the riot, including Brian Sicknick, an office of the Capitol Police.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of coordinating efforts to undermine the democratic electoral process and block the legal votes of millions of ballots cast by black Americans.

“I joined this complaint as a plaintiff because the threat to the security of both our democracy and myself was openly and violently ignored. There must be a responsibility for the violent disruption of our business and the personal fear that has arisen. ” said Watson Coleman in a statement.

A spokesman for Trump and Giuliani did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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The suit states that during the invasion of the Capitol complex by hundreds of rioters, Cohen pondered where he would like to be buried if he was killed and that he sat in his office in the dark for hours while holding a baseball bat during the Disorder.

It should be noted that Jayapal tested positive for Covid-19 after she and other members of the House sought shelter in a small room during the riot where some officials refused to wear masks.

And the suit says that after Lee found she had not been injured or killed in the riot, after January 6th, Lee began finalizing plans for her property.

In a statement, Thompson said: “I am delighted that ten of my colleagues are joining this critical effort to hold former President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, the Oath Guards and the proud boys accountable for their respective roles on January 6th attack.” the Capitol. “

“We owe it to our families, the American public and history to find out the truth about the conspiracy that led a violent mob to ravage the Capitol to stand in the way of the peaceful transfer of power,” Thompson said.