W.e US capital Washington sued two right-wing extremist groups in the wake of the storming of the Capitol in January. Washington Attorney General Karl Racine presented the lawsuit against the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers and more than 30 of their leaders and members on Tuesday. They allegedly pledged to “terrorize” Washington by planning, promoting and participating in the attack on the Capitol, according to the civil complaint.
“The result of this planning, the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, was not a protest or a rally,” says the complaint. “It was a coordinated act of domestic terrorism.” The accused are being asked for unspecified damages, including for the police officers injured in the violence of January 6th.
Radical supporters of then-President Donald Trump had stormed the Capitol when the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election on November 3rd was to be certified there. The attack, which made headlines around the world, killed five people, including a police officer. Members of the groups known as “Proud Boys” and “Oath Keepers” were involved in the attack. Many of them have already been charged by federal justice.
The charges are based on the Ku Klux Klan Act
Washington’s lawsuit is based on an act of 1871 known as the Ku Klux Klan Act. The law was passed to crack down on racist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, which opposed black equality after the US Civil War fought. An article of the law prohibits conspiracies intended to prevent office holders from performing their official duties.
Washington’s Attorney General Racine said Tuesday the law was passed in the 19th century “to protect our country and our citizens from violent conspiracies.” The civil action was intended to prevent future acts of violence and to withdraw funds from the “hatred”. On the basis of the Ku Klux Klan law, the Democratic MP Bennie Thompson had already sued the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, Trump and his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani in February.
Investigation of the House of Representatives
A House of Representatives committee of inquiry is also looking into the background to the storming of the Capitol. The MPs examine, among other things, what role Trump and his environment played in the attack. On Monday, the investigative committee recommended that Trump’s former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, be charged with disregard for Congress. Meadows refuses to respond to a summons from the panel.
The House of Representatives wanted to vote in plenary on Tuesday whether an indictment would be filed against the 62-year-old. The federal attorney responsible for the capital Washington would then have to decide on this in consultation with the Justice Department. It wasn’t until November that Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon was charged with disregard of Congress. The influential right-wing populist also refused to appear before the U-Committee.
.
#Storming #Capitol #Washington #sues #Proud #Boys #Oath #Keeper