Representative Eric Swalwell (R-CA) is an interesting guy. His brothers are police officers, which gives him a unique perspective about the January 6 insurrection. He was a California prosecutor before he came to Congress and impeachment manager for Donald Trump’s second impeachment. The California congressman wants to prove that the former president invited his followers to Washington D.C., ginned them up, then aimed the weaponized rioters directly at the U.S. Capitol Building where the 2020 election was being certified.
Fortunately, the ex-president’s coup failed. Over 800 of his people broke into the Capitol, vandalized it, and hunted humans — the members of the House, the Senate, and Vice President Mike Pence (R). Trump wanted Pence to refuse to certify the vote and hand the presidency over to him, but Pence did not.
“Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!” is what has happened to people who have angered the former president. He not only tries to get even, he tries to destroy them.
And people did die. One woman was crushed when she fell and was trampled by a mob with bloodlust in their eyes. Over 8,000 of Trump’s people swarmed over the Capitol grounds chanting. The rioters killed one of the police officers. Two other officers committed suicide in the following days. One of the rioters was shot and killed as she attempted to reach the Capitol chamber.
Representative Swalwell filed a 49-page lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., and Court Listener documents show Trump tried to get a federal judge to dismiss the California representative’s lawsuit. The ex-president claimed his communications as president of these United States prior to the January 6 insurrection were beyond the court’s reach. The documents read:
‘The president’s absolute immunity forecloses the jurisdiction of this court.’
The lawsuit claimed that Trump, his first son Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s personal attorney/fixer Rudy Giuliani, and Representative Mo Brooks (R-AL) each played a part in inciting the Jan. 6 riot. Of course, President Joe Biden won by seven million votes and blew away the Electoral College.
In spite of that, Trump had his strange collection of attorneys launch a propaganda campaign and file over 60 lawsuits contesting the results. They won just one of the suits, and that was due to a technicality.
Representative Swalwell’s lawsuit read:
‘The horrific events of January 6 were a direct and foreseeable consequence of the Defendants’ unlawful actions. As such, the Defendants are responsible for the injury and destruction that followed.’
The one-term president tried to defend his behavior by arguing that what he did prior to and on January 6 was “hardly unique.” Trump’s filing read:
‘While holding that office, former President Trump was free to advocate for the appointment and certification of electors.’
‘just as he was entitled to advocate for the passage or defeat of a constitutional amendment, or the reconsideration of a congressional act over his veto even though the President does not directly participate in those congressional acts.’
The ex-president also argued that the lawsuit against his eldest son, Donald Jr., should be dismissed. The document read that the congressman had no legal right to sue an American president, because his communications fell under his presidential protected speech right.
All of the defendants in Swalwell’s case spoke at the ex-president’s rally immediately prior to the attack on the Capitol. The words “We’re in” still echo in Americans’ minds.
The representative argued in his lawsuit that the pre-insurrection rally speeches were incendiary. A long-term propaganda campaign about “the big lie” led by Donald Trump’s repeated insistence that he won the election culminated in the mob going forth in a failed coup, but not for want of trying.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
