US Capitol officers sue Donald Trump for 'aiding and abetting' mob during January 6 riot

Two US Capitol police officers, who say they suffered “physical and emotional injuries” during the January 6 insurrection, are suing former President Donald Trump for inciting the crowd. According to CNN, the two officers said that Trump allegedly “inflamed, encouraged, incited and directed” the violent mob that stormed the Capitol. Officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby, who have been with the force for a combined 28 years, said they were injured during the attack, which left dozens of their fellow officers injured too and one dead.

In the suit filed in federal court in Washington, the two officers reportedly said that the insurrectionists were spurred on by Trump’s conduct over many months in getting his followers to believe his false allegations that he was about to be forced out of the White House because of massive election fraud.  They added that the mob, which the former president inflamed, encouraged and incited, forced its way over the past the plaintiffs and their fellow officers, pursuing and attacking them. According to the lawsuit, while Hemby claimed that he was crushed against the doors of the Capitol, was sprayed with chemicals and bled from his face, Blassingame, on the other hand, said that he was slammed against a stone column, injuring his head and back. 

Trump accused of ‘aiding and abetting’ assault 

Now, the two officers are seeking at least $75,000 in damages. They accused Trump of aiding and abetting their assaults and directing his supporters to assault them. The lawsuit also described the sheer terror that the officers felt inside the Capitol, while they were vastly outnumbered by the armed pro-Trump mob. 

Further, the lawsuit said that Blassingame now sufferers from depression and that the severe emotional toll continues to reveal itself. The suit read that Blassingame is “haunted” by the memory of being attack, and of the sensory impacts. He experiences guilt of being unable to help his colleagues who were simultaneously being attacked and of surviving when other colleagues did not. The lawsuit also claimed that Blassingame was called a racial slur throughout the assault. 

Meanwhile, the former President hasn’t yet responded to the lawsuit. The Republican leader has previously denied any responsibility for the violent attack and falsely claimed that the rioters posed “zero threat” and were “hugging and kissing the police”. It is worth noting that this is the third major civil lawsuit that is trying to hold Trump liable for the insurrection, after two Democratic lawmakers filed lawsuits against Trump and others, attempting to hold the ex-President and other speakers accountable for his words and supporters’ actions. 

(Image: AP)