Seven members of the Capitol Police filed a complaint Thursday August 26 against former President Donald Trump and extremist groups, accusing them of being directly responsible for the deadly assault on the seat of the United States Congress in Washington on January 6.
Read alsoHow Donald Trump watched imperturbably the assault on Capitol Hill
The former White House host is already the target of a complaint from elected Democrats for his alleged responsibility in this attack which wavered American democracy for a few hours.
Hundreds of pro-Trump protesters forced Congress to enter as parliamentarians gathered to certify Democrat Joe Biden's victory over incumbent Republican President in November 2020.
Five people died during or shortly after the attack, including a police officer, but also a protester killed by an officer as she tried to force a door inside the building with dozens of others.
In addition, two police officers committed suicide in the days and weeks that followed.
The complaint was filed in a Washington court by a collective of human rights lawyers, on behalf of seven police officers who clashed with the protesters.
It targets the ex-president, his campaign organization for the presidential election, Roger Stone (a close friend of Donald Trump), the far-right groups Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters, as well as several of their leaders.
They are accused of "
illegally using force, intimidation and threats to prevent Congress from certifying the results
" of the presidential ballot.
From conspiracy to violence
Donald Trump has always refused to acknowledge his defeat, denouncing massive fraud, an accusation that has never been verified.
The police officers charged with protecting the Congress "
were violently attacked, received spitting, were sprayed with tear gas and anti-bear repellent, suffered racist slurs and their lives were threatened
", details the complaint.
Five of the seven police officers are African-American.
Read also United States: no commission of inquiry into the January 6 assault on the Capitol
"
For months after the announcement of the (election) results, former President Trump and his accomplices organized coordinated and systematic attempts to bring their bogus allegations of electoral fraud to justice
," the complaint states. "
The lies of this conspiracy have intentionally galvanized white supremacists and violent extremist groups, and actively encouraged them to coordinate the violent assault on Capitol Hill,
" the complainants add.
A parliamentary commission of inquiry has been created to shed light on the attack on Congress. Heard in July by elected officials, police officers described the physical and verbal violence suffered during the assault. Nearly 600 people were arrested for their participation and the majority were charged with more or less serious charges.
