Ten members of Congress have joined the NAACP lawsuit against Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani. The lawsuit accuses Trump and Giuliani of inciting the deadly Capitol Riot that took place on January 6.
“As I sat in my office on January 6th with rioters roaming the hallways, I feared for my life and thought I was going to die,” Tennessee Representative Steve Cohen said. “This invasion was a direct result of Donald Trump’s rhetoric and words. His calls to gather in Washington on January 6th and his message to ‘be strong’ thwarted the functioning of our Constitution.”
Representatives Cohen, Karen Bass, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Veronica Escobar, Hank Johnson Jr., Marcy Kaptur, Barbara Lee, Jerry Nadler, Pramila Jayapal, and Maxine Waters all joined the lawsuit with NAACP.
“Those responsible for placing me and my colleagues in danger must face accountability for their criminality,” Nadler said. “This violence was anything but spontaneous; it was the direct result of a conspiracy to incite a riot, instigated by [Trump], Rudolph Giuliani, the Proud Boys, and the Oath Keepers.”
The lawsuit, first brought by House Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson and the NAACP, accuses Trump and Giuliani of conspiring with extremist groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers to incite the riot at the Capitol.
Jason Miller, a spokesperson for Trump, said that Trump did not incite a riot.
“[Trump] has been acquitted in the Democrats’ latest Impeachment Witch Hunt, and the facts are irrefutable,” Miller said. “[Trump] did not plan, produce, or organize the Jan. 6th rally on the Ellipse. [Trump] did not incite or conspire to incite violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6th.”
The insurrection left five people dead, including Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick.
