WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. federal court ruled on Friday that Donald Trump could face a civil lawsuit for his role in the attack on the Capitol carried out by his supporters on January 6, 2021, rejecting the argument put forward by the former president according to which he benefited from immunity.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the highest federal court in Washington, ruled that Donald Trump acted “in his personal capacity as a presidential candidate” when he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol.
Presidents of the United States are only immune from civil suits with respect to their official actions.
This decision paves the way for legal proceedings against Donald Trump from police officers and American parliamentarians who consider him responsible for the violence committed by his supporters during the riot, which aimed to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat.
Donald Trump, 77, is currently the favorite to win the Republican nomination and face Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
He is already facing multiple legal proceedings for the attack on the Capitol but also in other cases of concealment of classified documents, violations of electoral laws, sexual assault and fraud.
Civil trials in the United States often result in heavy financial penalties.
(Reporting Andrew Goudsward; French version Victor Goury-Laffont, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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