The Justice Department (DOJ) said Thursday that former President Donald Trump can be sued in connection to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

“Speaking to the public on matters of public concern is a traditional function of the Presidency, and the outer perimeter of the President’s Office includes a vast realm of such speech,” attorneys for the DOJ Civil Division wrote in a court brief.

“But that traditional function is one of public communication,” they added. “It does not include incitement of imminent private violence.”

Two Capitol Police officers and 11 Democrats have sued Trump in an attempt to hold him liable for the events of January 6.

Trump claimed absolutely immunity in a bid to dismiss the civil lawsuits.

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