A Capitol Police officer filed a lawsuit on Jan. 6 riot accusing former President Donald Trump of contributing to injuries she sustained when a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.
Officer Briana Kirkland filed the 57-sided lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. She argued that Trump incited the attack, did little to end it and conspired with far-right extremists to promote false claims about the 2020 election.
As the leader of the violent mob, who took their cues from his campaign rhetoric and personal tweets and traveled from the country to the nation s capital on Trump's invitation to the January 6 rally, Trump was in a position of extraordinary influence over his followers, who committed assault and battery on Briana Kirkland, according to the lawsuit.
By his words and conduct, Trump directed the mob that stormed the Capitol and assaulted and battered Briana Kirkland.
A representative for Trump didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.
Kirkland is seeking at least $75,000 in damages, as well as attorneys fees.
Officer Kirkland endured an odyssey in which she started as one of the twenty or so USCP officers sent to the West Front of the United States Capitol, and ended up covered by chemical spray, blood, with a traumatic brain injury that would cost her a year of her personal and professional life, physical and personal injuries that will be with her indefinitely, the lawsuit said.
In August, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit on behalf of seven Capitol Police officers. It was alleged that Trump conspired with white supremacists, violent extremist groups, and campaign supporters to violate the Ku Klux Klan Act, and commit acts of domestic terrorism in an attempt to stay in power. Kirkland stated in her lawsuit that fighting off the mob left her with numerous injuries, including a concussion.