A federal judge on Friday refused to dismiss lawsuits against Donald Trump, rejecting the president’s legal team’s argument that there was no way he incited violence when he told people the 2020 election was stolen, called them to a mass demonstration in Washington, and then exhorted them to “flight like hell” in defense of the country.
Trump faces lawsuits attempting to hold him accountable for the Jan. 6 violence, arguing that his actions in the run-up to the deadly riot make him partly responsible. Of the three civil lawsuits, two are brought by Democratic members of Congress and the other from Capitol police officers who were attacked and injured by supporters of the ex-president.
The ruling is expected to be appealed, but for now it allows the lawsuits to go forward.
Among the issues in the judge’s ruling was whether Trump’s rally speech was protected by the…
