President-elect Donald Trump is seeking to apply for immunity in a lawsuit filed against him by seven police officers who were injured during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Newsweek reports. A lawyer representing the plaintiffs told Newsweek that Trump plans to apply for presidential immunity this month.
Presidential immunity refers to the legal protections that shield a sitting president from certain types of legal liability while in office.
On Jan. 6, 2021, a mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, attempting to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
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In the lawsuit, Conrad Smith v. Donald J. Trump, the officers allege battery, assault and negligence, claiming that Trump’s rally and “unpermitted march were essential elements of the conspiracy that led to their injuries.”
The officers argue that Trump’s comments encouraging his supporters to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue that day make him responsible for their injuries.
Here’s what Trump said to his supporters at the end of his rally speech on Jan. 6, 2021:
“I think one of our great achievements will be election security. Because nobody until I came along had any idea how corrupt our elections were.
“And again, most people would stand there at 9 o’clock in the evening and say, ‘I want to thank you very much,’ and they go off to some other life. But I said something’s wrong here, something is really wrong, can have happened.
“And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.
“Our exciting adventures and boldest endeavors have not yet begun. My fellow Americans, for our movement, for our children, and for our beloved country.
“And I say this despite all that’s happened. The best is yet to come.
“So we’re going to, we’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. I love Pennsylvania Avenue. And we’re going to the Capitol, and we’re going to try and give.
“The Democrats are hopeless –– they never vote for anything. Not even one vote. But we’re going to try and give our Republicans, the weak ones, because the strong ones don’t need any of our help. We’re going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.
“So let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.
“I want to thank you all. God bless you and God bless America.”
Trump maintains that he told his supporters to protest peacefully.
A federal district court judge must now decide whether Trump has immunity from his actions that day.
The lawsuit also names other individuals, including members of the far-right groups The Proud Boys and The Oath Keepers.