7 police officers sue over Capitol attack

WASHINGTON — Seven Capitol Police officers who were assaulted during the Jan. 6 insurrection are using a law passed after the Civil War to sue former President Donald Trump, his associates and far-right extremist groups for allegedly working together to stop Congress, through force and intimidation, from certifying the 2020 presidential election results.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday, names Trump; his longtime associate Roger Stone; the groups Stop the Steal, Proud Boys and Oath Keepers; and others. It says Trump and those named are culpable for the violent insurrection.

The suit cites Trump’s tweets and other remarks in 2020 laying the groundwork for saying the election would be “rigged.” After Trump lost, he and others conspired to challenge results in cities and states with large Black populations, and to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, the suit says.

“TRUMP and other Defendants propagated false claims of election fraud, encouraged the use of force, intimidation, and threats, and incited violence against members of Congress and the law enforcement officers whose job it was to protect them,” the suit says.

“Defendants’ unlawful efforts culminated in the January 6 mass attack on the United States Capitol and the brutal, physical assault of hundreds of law enforcement officers. Many Defendants in this case planned, aided, and actively participated in that attack. All Defendants are responsible for it.”

The officers allege the defendants violated the Ku Klux Klan Act from 1871 , which provides recovery for those injured by conspiracies such as one to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College results.