Donald Trump has been served a civil rights lawsuit accusing him of inciting the Capitol riot along with Rudy Giuliani, the Proud Boys and other far-right groups, according to reports.
Mr Trump was given the documents, filed by Democrat congressman Bennie Thompson and civil rights group the NAACP in mid-February, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
It is unclear who will represent the former president in the case: it was merely signed for by a “Ricky”, according to The Daily Beast.
The lawsuit alleges that Mr Trump and Mr Giuliani “incited a crowd of thousands to descend upon the Capitol” on 6 January to disrupt Congress, while the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers – a far-right militia made up of former police and soldiers – spearheaded the assault.
They are also accused of violating the “Ku Klux Klan Act” of 1871, intended to protect lawmakers against “conspiracies through violence and intimidation”, by allegedly seeking to prevent Congress from carrying out their official duties.
Thompson, the representative for Mississippi’s 2nd district, said that Mr Trump’s “gleeful support of violent white supremacists led to a breach of the Capitol that put my life, and that of my colleagues, in grave danger”.
“We must hold him accountable for the insurrection that he so blatantly planned,” he added.
NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson accused the former president of trying to “disenfranchise African-American voters” and “destroy democracy”.
Mr Trump was acquitted of inciting the Capitol riot in the US Senate. But he is facing numerous civil and criminal cases, relating both to his years in the White House and his pre-presidential life.
Mr Trump’s one-time lawyer Mr Giuliani has also been served with multiple lawsuits in recent months.
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