Subterms
US Capitol attackSix US Capitol police officers could face discipline for 6 January actionsInternal investigation recommends disciplinary measures against officers but none will face criminal charges Richard Luscombe@ More
OpinionSeptember 11 2001Two decades after 9/11, the real threat to the US is our own far rightH More
CaliforniaCalifornia man charged with attacking police with a pole and chemicals during Capitol attackTwo Los Angeles men allege David Dempsey had used the same tactics to assault them during protests five months earlier Lois Beckett@ More
US Capitol attackCapitol police officers sue Trump and far-right groups over 6 January attack Roger Stone also named in suit by six officers in federal court Ex-president worked with others to ‘commit acts of … terrorism’ Maya Yang in New York and agenciesThu 26 Aug 2021 14.20 EDTLast modified on Thu 26 Aug 2021 14.31 EDTCapitol police officers who were attacked and beaten during the insurrection at the US Congress on 6 January by extremist supporters of Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the former Republican president, his ally Roger Stone and members of far-right extremist groups.The officers accused them of intentionally sending a violent mob to disrupt the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the November 2020 election.The suit in federal court in Washington DC alleges Trump “worked with white supremacists, violent extremist groups, and campaign supporters to violate the Ku Klux Klan Act, and commit acts of domestic terrorism in an unlawful effort to stay in power”.The suit was filed on behalf of the seven officers by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.“Trump’s and his co-conspirators’ repeated cries of election fraud caused many of his supporters, including other defendants, to plan to employ force, intimidation and threats on his behalf to keep him in office, should he lose the election,” the lawsuit alleges.“Because of defendants’ unlawful actions, plaintiffs were violently assaulted, spat on, teargassed, bear-sprayed, subjected to racial slurs and epithets, and put in fear for their lives. Plaintiffs’ injuries, which defendants caused, persist to this day,” the lawsuit added.It names the former president, the Trump campaign, Stone and members of the extremist far-right groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, some of whose members were involved at the Capitol attack.Roger Stone is understood to have links to some of the far-right individuals who have been charged as a result of the riot in Washington DC. Stone was pardoned by Trump just before the then president left office after his defeat, having previously had his prison sentence commuted for crimes in relation to the Russia investigation into the 2016 election campaign.Trump held a rally near the White House on 6 January in which he encouraged his supporters to march on the nearby Capitol in an effort to stop certification of Biden’s victory over him, which was due to take place in a process involving the House of Representatives and the US Senate that day.Top Republicans move to protect Trump from Capitol attack falloutRead moreThe officers listed in the lawsuit are Conrad Smith, Danny McElroy, Byron Evans, Governor Latson, Melissa Marshall, Michael Fortune and Jason DeRoche. Collectively, the officers “have dedicated more than 150 years” to protecting Congress.While several police officers who served during the riots have come forward with stories of their experiences on 6 January, most notably during the congressional hearing in July, Thursday’s lawsuit is the first time that the seven plaintiffs, five of whom are Black, offered details of their experiences.“One attacker shoved Officer Latson … Attackers then breached the Senate Chamber, physically assaulted Officer Latson, and hurled racial slurs at him, including ‘n****r’ … Officer Latson suffered physical injury from being physically struck by attackers and from exposure to noxious pepper spray, bear spray, fire extinguishers, and other pollutants sprayed by attackers,” the lawsuit said.Another officer, Michael Fortune, upon arrival at the Capitol, “saw that it was like a war zone, with chemical fog in the air, tables flipped, statues defaced, feces on the walls, and blood and broken glass on the floors”.DeRoche, an 18-year Capitol police veteran and a navy veteran, said the lawsuit was not about a monetary settlement. Rather, he said, the lawsuit aimed to set the record straight about what happened on 6 January. He wanted Trump and the other defendants to be held accountable for their actions, so “if they were to do this ever again, there would be consequences,” the suit said.‘I went to hell and back’: officer condemns Republican lawmakers who spurned Capitol attack hearingRead moreA House committee has started in earnest to investigate what happened that day, sending out requests on Wednesday for documents from intelligence, law enforcement and other government agencies.More than 500 people who took part in the insurrection are facing criminal charges in one of the biggest federal investigations since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the US.Two other similar cases have been filed in recent months by Democratic members of Congress. The suits allege the actions of Trump and his allies led to the violent siege of the Capitol that injured dozens of police officers, delayed the certification of Biden’s victory and sent lawmakers running for their lives.Trump accused the committee of violating “longstanding legal principles of privilege” but his team had no immediate comment on Thursday’s lawsuit.“Racism and white supremacy pervaded Defendants’ efforts from the outset,” the lawsuit said.Thursday’s lawsuit was the first to accuse Trump of working with both far-right extremists and political organizers to promote his dishonest allegations of a fraudulent election.“This is probably the most comprehensive account of 6 January in terms of civil cases,” said Edward Caspar, a lawyer who is leading the lawsuit.TopicsUS Capitol attackUS policingDonald TrumpRoger StoneThe far rightnewsReuse this content More
US Capitol attackUS Capitol police didn’t properly respond to officers’ calls for help in attack – reportInspector general’s report offers new details into shortcomings by law enforcement during 6 January insurrection A More
US Capitol attackUS Capitol police clear officer who shot dead 6 January rioter Ashli BabbittCapitol police issue result of investigation into how and why Babbitt was shot as she and others tried to break through door
US politics – live updates
Joanna Walters@ More
US Capitol attack Cybersleuths find men who allegedly attacked officer during US Capitol riotDavid Walls-Kaufman and Taylor F Taranto appeared to target Jeffrey Smith because his eyes and face were vulnerable, suit says Alexandra VillarrealSat 14 Aug 2021 14.23 EDTFirst published on Sat 14 Aug 2021 13.03 EDTA group of cybersleuths have tracked down two men who allegedly attacked police officer Jeffrey Smith at the US Capitol during the 6 January insurrection, leaving him with injuries that have been linked to his death days later.In a new complaint, attorney David P Weber – who represents Smith’s widow, Erin – wrote that David Walls-Kaufman and and Taylor F Taranto appeared to specifically target Smith because his eyes and face were vulnerable.Man charged in Capitol riot also engaged in rightwing street brawlRead moreThe lawsuit said Walls-Kaufman used a cane, crowbar or similar object to level a brain injury to Smith, who took his own life on 15 January. Jonathan Arden, DC’s former chief medical examiner, has attributed Smith’s death to post-concussion syndrome, which can lead to symptoms like depression and suicidal thoughts.About a dozen people with the open-source intelligence group Deep State Dogs pored over evidence from the capitol attack for more than a month until they found footage of Smith and his assailants.“We felt we had to do something to honor the memory and family of Officer Smith. It’s terrible that the bereaved were left in that situation,” Forrest Rogers from Deep State Dogs told HuffPost. “So we turned to the thing we do best: finding bad guys.”Walls-Kaufman, a chiropractor, has said in the past that about 40% of his clients work at or around the Capitol. In January, he was quoted in a story about the riot, which implied he was in attendance.Taranto – a US navy veteran from Washington state – handed a weapon to Kaufman, who then struck Smith in the head. The battery led to a concussion, according to the lawsuit.“But for the concussion of Officer Smith at the hands of these defendants, Officer Smith would be alive today,” Weber wrote.Smith’s widow, Erin, has been trying to convince the Police and Firefighters’ Retirement and Relief Board to consider her husband as having died in the line of duty. But the DC metropolitan police department has refused to release Smith’s body-camera video showing what actually happened, and Weber expressed frustration about how little federal law enforcement has done to avenge Smith months after the attack.“I thought the I in FBI stood for ‘investigation’,” Weber told HuffPost. “It’s pretty lame that a private lawyer for a dead police officer’s widow has to be the one conducting the investigation.“The fact that these volunteers have accomplished what the FBI has not is extraordinary.”TopicsUS Capitol attackWashington DCUS policingLaw (US)newsReuse this content More
US Capitol attackFourth officer who responded to US Capitol attack dies by suicideKyle DeFreytag, who was deployed to protect Capitol after police cleared building of rioters, died earlier in July Hugo Lowell in WashingtonTue 3 Aug 2021 08.29 EDTLast modified on Tue 3 Aug 2021 10.41 EDTA fourth police officer who defended the US Capitol during the 6 January insurrection by extremist supporters of Donald Trump is now confirmed to have taken his own life.Washington DC’s Metropolitan police department (MPD) confirmed late Monday that another of their officers, Kyle DeFreytag, died by suicide earlier in July, just hours after declaring that MPD officer Gunther Hashida killed himself on 29 July.In January MPD officer Jeffrey Smith, a 12-year veteran of the force, and Capitol police officer Howard Liebengood, a 16-year veteran, both of whom also responded to the 6 January attack, died by suicide.DeFreytag, who was 26, was deployed to protect the Capitol after police cleared the building of rioters, and was involved in enforcing a curfew, the department said.The MPD chief, Robert Contee, had notified personnel of DeFreytag’s death on 10 July in a department-wide message, the department confirmed.He had been an MPD officer for five years, according to his obituary.Hashida had helped secure the Capitol on 6 January as part of the emergency response team within MPD’s special operations division after a mob of thousands of Trump supporters stormed the building.‘This is how I’m going to die’: police tell panel of trauma of Capitol attackRead moreThe announcement of the deaths of DeFreytag and Hashida came a week after several officers testified to a House of Representatives select committee investigating the 6 January insurrection, when extremists stormed the Capitol to try to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s win over Trump in the 2020 presidential election.That attempt failed and Biden’s victory was successfully certified by Congress in the early hours of the following morning.But the attack on the Capitol, which lasted several hours, involved rioters assaulting outnumbered officers to break into the building in a failed effort to hunt down lawmakers, including the then vice president, Mike Pence.Trump was impeached, for an unprecedented second time, on the charge of inciting the insurrection, and acquitted in February by the Senate.Almost 600 people have been criminally charged for their part in the events.
In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 and online chat is also available. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org
TopicsUS Capitol attackUS policingnewsReuse this content More
