By Dareh Gregorian and Daniel Barnes
The ruling by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C. allows a number of pending lawsuits against the former president to proceed.
A federal appeals court on Friday rejected former President Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss civil claims seeking to hold him to account for the Jan. 6 riot, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol, denying his claims of presidential immunity, at least for now.
“The sole issue before us is whether President Trump has demonstrated an entitlement to official-act immunity for his actions leading up to and on January 6 as alleged in the complaints. We answer no, at least at this stage of the proceedings,” a panel of judges from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C. said in its ruling.
The three judges noted that Trump is alleged to have instigated the riot during the course of his re-election campaign, and said, “When a first-term President opts to seek a second term, his campaign to win re-election is not an official presidential act.”
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