https://nowthisnews.com/politics/bennie-thompson-sues-trump-nancy-pelosi-launches-commission-on-capitol-riot
Lawmaker Sues Trump Over U.S. Capitol Riot In Wake Of Senate Acquittal
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced she would launch a 9/11-style commission to study the “facts and causes” related to the insurrection.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) on Tuesday became the first known member of Congress to file a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump over the deadly U.S. Capitol riot. The NAACP and a civil rights law firm filed the suit on Thompson's behalf.
Separately, on Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced she would launch a 9/11-style commission to study the “facts and causes” of the insurrection.
These developments follow the Senate’s acquittal of Trump over the weekend in his second impeachment trial. At 57-43, it was the most bipartisan vote to convict a president in U.S. history — and the conclusion to the first impeachment trial held after a commander-in-chief left office.
While Democratic impeachment managers built a damning case using Trump’s own rhetoric and calls to action, as well as harrowing footage of the violent insurrection on January 6, many questions about the attack — which disrupted Congress’ Electoral College certification process — remain unanswered. In their defense, Trump’s lawyers largely criticized Democrats for their rhetoric and focused on the process rather than the allegations raised.
Now, Rep. Thompson, chair of the Homeland Security Committee, is suing Trump, along with personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and far-right extremist groups the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, for allegedly violating the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 by “conspiring to prevent [Thompson] and other Members of Congress” from “discharging … official duties” like certifying the election results, according to the lawsuit filed in D.C. federal court. The lawsuit mentions the pro-Trump Stop the Steal rally on January 6 where the then-president spoke, as well as the defendants’ “ongoing course of action” to contest the presidential election results.
