On Thursday, the Justice Department advised the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to reject former President Donald J. Trump's claim of immunity from multiple civil lawsuits filed by Capitol Police officers and members of Congress. The lawsuits seek to hold him liable for damages stemming from the January 6th Capitol riot that devastated Washington D.C. The Justice Department pinpointed Trump's speech on the White House Ellipse that day as potentially causing the incitement.

The department's 23-page brief stated that if the allegations of Trump's incitement to violence are true, it should not be construed as part of his presidential duties. 12 former White House and Justice Department officials from both Democratic and Republican administrations previously urged the court to deny Trump's immunity claims, asserting that he 'broke the law while acting well beyond any official capacity.'

The lawsuit was