Donald Trump is asking a D.C. circuit court to grant him absolute immunity from civil suits related to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol Building.
In a filing Wednesday, Trump’s attorneys asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to reverse US District Judge Amit Mehta’s February ruling that said Trump could be held civilly liable in lawsuits related to the Capitol riot, Insider reports.
Attorneys for Trump argued that his speech at the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6 falls within the scope of speech protected by presidential absolute immunity.
“President Trump is shielded by absolute presidential immunity because his statements were on matters of public concern and therefore well within the scope of the robust absolute immunity afforded all presidents,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
Trump is facing several civil suits from lawmakers and Capitol police officers for inciting the mob on Jan. 6.
In their brief, Trump’s attorneys argued that there are other ways to hold a president accountable for bad behavior other than civil suits. They cited the House impeachment for incitement of insurrection. Trump was later acquitted in the Senate because even though 57 senators agreed that he was guilty for inciting the insurrection, the number fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict.
“A Democratic-controlled House of Representatives already brought impeachment charges against President Trump for allegedly inciting an insurrection on January 6, 2021,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. “Their effort failed, and President Trump was acquitted. These further lawsuits are an attempt to thwart that acquittal, and it is just this type of harassment that presidential immunity is meant to foreclose.”
The filing comes after reports that the Justice Department is expanding its investigation into the attempt to overturn the 2020 election results to include Trump’s actions.
