Congressman Bennie Thompson, the Democratic legislature who is with the NAACP in one Lawsuit against former President Trump and Rudy Giuliani says he’s looking forward to his day in court.
“Donald Trump has to go. If he doesn’t, we’ll put him out of business,” Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told CBSN in an interview on Wednesday. He spoke with NAACP President Derrick Johnson about the legal action they are taking against those who are due to be held accountable for Jan. 6 Attack on the US Capitol.
Thompson, represented by the NAACP, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday alleging Trump, Giuliani and far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers had conspired stimulate the attack while lawmakers were gathered to reaffirm President Bidens Electoral College Victory.
The lawsuit alleges that they have violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which prohibits two or more people from conspiring to “use force, intimidation or threats” to prevent an incumbent from being his Duties fulfilled.
“The law was put in place to protect these members of Congress so we can actually have a democracy that lives up to the promises of the Constitution without individuals being afraid of intimidation or threats to their lives,” said Johnson, adding that the unrest in the Capitol “fit perfectly” why the laws were passed.
Thompson compared the modern extremist groups how Proud boys and Oath Guardian to the Ku Klux Klan, claiming the groups “transformed out of the Klan connection”.
“They have tried to do everything possible to prevent black and progressive people from asserting their rights as American citizens. So this is an opportunity – from a criminal perspective in this lawsuit – to take them out of business,” said he.
Mr. Trump was acquitted by the Senate in its second impeachment trial after the House impeachment executives presented evidence for four days linking the former president’s false claims about a “stolen” election to the violent events of January 6th. Mr Trump made a statement saying he “did not instigate or conspire to” incite violence in the Capitol.
Thompson said his housemates’ arguments and evidence “justify this lawsuit”. He pointed to repeated Twitter posts from Mr. Trump telling his supporters to come to Washington on January 6th, culminating in a fiery speech in which the then president told his supporters, “We are going to Going Down Capitol Building “when lawmakers gathered for the vote.
“The only thing that was supposed to happen on January 6th was the election confirmation,” added Thompson.
Despite the former President’s acquittal in the Senate, Johnson said he was confident her case would go to court.
“It’s a different standard that is not based on partiality,” he said. “We believe that there are enough facts, videos and statements directly from the president – whether in speeches or through his tweets – that will conclusively show that there was a conspiracy to prevent the peaceful transfer of power in this country.”
