Congressman sues Trump over deadly Capitol siege

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Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell was one of the house managers arguing that Donald Trump should be convicted in the Senate for sparking the deadly riot in the Capitol on January 6th.

While he and other Democrats failed to win over enough Republicans to find the former president guilty, the California Congressman has turned to federal court to make his case.

In a lawsuit filed in Washington, Swalwell claims Trump and his allies lied to supporters, falsely claiming the election was stolen, and exhorted them to "fight like hell" to overturn the election results.

Swalwell alleges the Capitol riot was a “direct and foreseeable consequence” of these lies, and the insurrection of January 6 was "in direct response" to calls for violence at a rally earlier that day.

The suit names Trump, Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr, and Republican Congressman Mo Brooks, all of whom addressed a crowd of supporters that later marched on Congress.

"As such, the Defendants are responsible for the injury and destruction that followed," the suit claims.

More than 300 people have so far been charged with crimes relating to the Capitol attack.

Politico on Friday reported the FBI arrested a Trump appointee in Virginia, who served in the State Department, on charges stemming from the attempted insurrection.

Swalwell is the second lawmaker to sue Trump over the insurrection.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller said in a statement that Swalwell "is a low-life with no credibility."

The former president has continued to falsely claim he won the 2020 presidential election.