A federal appeals court rejected Friday former President Donald Trump’s efforts to have multiple civil lawsuits thrown out that hold him liable for the Jan 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol building, striking down Trump’s argument that being the president made him “immune” from liability — at least for now — and potentially hurting his defense in his multiple criminal cases involving the 2020 election.
Then-President Donald Trump speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House on January 6, ... [+]
Trump faces three civil lawsuits brought by Democratic members of Congress and Capitol police officers, which seek to punish him for inciting the January 6 riot.
After a federal district judge refused to throw out the cases in the lower court in February 2022, Trump appealed them to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which heard arguments in the case last year, arguing he cannot be punished for Jan 6 because his actions in the aftermath of the election are shielded by “presidential immunity.”
The court ruled Friday against that argument, affirming the lower court’s ruling against Trump’s effort to “dismiss the claims against him on the grounds of presidential immunity.”
Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung has not yet responded to a request for comment.
It’s likely Trump could appeal the appeals court’s ruling to the Supreme Court. The ruling against Trump having presidential immunity is also likely to come into play as he faces two criminal cases in Georgia and in federal court for trying to overturn the 2020 election. The ex-president has similarly sought to have the charges against him thrown out because of presidential immunity in those cases as well, which remain pending — though judges could be less inclined to side with him given the appeals court’s ruling.
Bid to hold Trump accountable for Jan. 6 violence stalls at appeals court (Politico)