2 Capitol Police officers sue Trump for inciting Jan. 6 riot
Two Capitol Police officers filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, accusing him of inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The veteran officers, James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby, said members of the mob used pepper spray and tear gas to assault them during the deadly riot, which broke out as lawmakers tried to certify President Biden's victory.
The complaint, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., also states that Blassingame is "haunted by the memory of being attacked and of the sensory impacts — the sights, sounds, smells, and even tastes of the attack remain close to the surface. He experiences guilt of being unable to help his colleagues who were simultaneously being attacked and of surviving where other colleagues did not."
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In December, Trump tweeted that there would be "a big protest in D.C. on Jan. 6. Be there. Will be wild!" The officers are suing for unspecified damages for their injuries and emotional distress.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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