Justice Department says Trump can be sued over Capitol riot

Former President Donald Trump should not be immune from civil lawsuits related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday. Lawyers for the department filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia stating that a president is not shielded from legal action while in office if his words incited violence. The filing explicitly states that the department has not determined if Trump should be held responsible for the riot. A separate criminal investigation into his role in the Jan. 6 events is ongoing.

Who has sued former President Trump? Several members of Congress and U.S. Capitol Police have sued Trump, alleging that a speech he gave the morning of Jan. 6 directly incited the riot. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1982 ruled that presidents are absolutely protected from civil lawsuits related to their official acts as president, but it is unclear when a presidential speech is considered an official act.

Dig deeper: Listen to WORLD’s Kent Covington, Mary Reichard, and Nick Eicher discuss the evidence presented at the Jan. 6 hearings on The World and Everything in It podcast.