As Raw Story pointed out, things seem to be getting worse for Trump. A lawsuit filed against him Wednesday by two Capitol police officers is extremely compelling. It states that one officer was "was crushed against the doors" of the Capitol and "sprayed with chemicals" and bled from his face. The other was slammed against a stone column, injuring his head and back.
C&L’s Susie Madrak wrote that since the bar is lower in a civil case than for a criminal one, it probably won’t be hard for the two officers to persuade a jury that Trump should be held responsible for inciting the Capitol attack.
Katyal seems to agree. He's not only unsurprised by the lawsuit but has been waiting for it. Trump’s ridiculous claim last week that there had been “zero violence” on January 6th and that the insurrectionists had been “hugging and kissing the police and the guards" is not going to help him. Sen. Mitch McConnell “literally invited this lawsuit on the floor of Congress, so it’s hard to say, as the Trump defenders will, whoever is left defending him, that this is a political lawsuit,” Katyal opined.
He went on to read from the complaint that one of the officers had been “attacked relentlessly. He was bleeding from a cut located less than an inch from his eye. He had cuts and abrasions on his face and hands and his body was pinned against a large metal door, fending off attacks.”
“So, when Donald Trump says that these folks were hugging and kissing the guards? My God,” Katyal added.
Host Nicolle Wallace read more from the complaint: “Trump thereby ratified the conduct of the followers and ensured that the assaults on the plaintiffs and fellow officers lasted much longer, worsening the physical and emotional injuries of the plaintiffs and other officers.”
“When he finally did make statements, late in the afternoon, Trump further ratified the tortious conduct when he again said that the election had been stolen by fraud, and that his followers had every reason to be be angry, and by announcing support, praise and love for his followers,” the complaint continued.
That “absolutely” leaves Trump open to even more legal exposure, Katyal said. Besides all that, New York prosecutors are putting a serious squeeze on Trump’s longtime CFO, Allen Weisselberg. The Manhattan district attorney has subpoenaed his bank records. The New York attorney general is investigating his finances, too.
“If you could short Donald Trump right now, it would be a good time to do so,” Katyal quipped. But putting kidding aside, he added, “Donald Trump is in serious trouble.”
Luke Broadwater of The New York Times disagreed with Katyal that Republicans will abandon Trump over his legal troubles. I'm sure he's right, at least for now. The Republicans will cling to Trump so long as they think it’s advantageous, no matter what he does or whom he harms.
But thank goodness Trump and the Republicans have almost no power over the legal processes now facing their favorite p***y grabber. And on that score, Trump really is in a whole lot of trouble.
