Seven US Capitol police officers are suing Donald Trump on the grounds that he allegedly conspired with far-right extremist groups to incite the Jan. 6 insurrection which led to the deaths of five people, Reuters reports.
The suit names the ex-POTUS, Trump's ally Roger Stone and members of the far-right groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, some of whom were involved in the breach of the Capitol.
Per The Guardian, the legal document, filed in federal court in Washington DC on Thursday, August 26, states that the former Republican president "worked with white supremacists, violent extremist groups, and campaign supporters to violate the Ku Klux Klan Act, and commit acts of domestic terrorism in an unlawful effort to stay in power".
The officers allege that the deadly event, in which four Trump supporters and one Capitol officer died, occurred after months of encouragement by the Republican, who repeatedly espoused baseless claims of election fraud.
The suit stated: "Trump, in concert with other Defendants, deliberately and persistently made and encouraged false claims of election fraud to discredit the outcome of the election and disingenuously incite outrage among his supporters."
The individuals named in the lawsuit have been accused of intentionally inciting a violent mob to disrupt the congressional certification of Joe Biden's victory in the November 2020 election.
Trump had held a rally near the White House on January 6 and took the opportunity to encourage his supporters to march to Capitol in protest against Biden's certification of victory, which had been due to take place that day.
The suit continued: "Trump’s and his co-conspirators’ repeated cries of election fraud caused many of his supporters, including other defendants, to plan to employ force, intimidation, and threats on his behalf to keep him in office, should he lose the election."
The document refers to the actions of the accused as "unlawful" and stated these actions ultimately caused a situation in which Capitol officers were "violently assaulted, spat on, teargassed, bear-sprayed, subjected to racial slurs and epithets, and put in fear for their lives."
It added: "Plaintiffs' injuries, which defendants caused, persist to this day."