The Department of Justice (DOJ) is ready to take responsibility for former President Trump’s actions against protesters in 2020.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a court filing on Monday confirming that Trump acted within the scope of his official duties when he ordered the National Guard to disperse rioters who had gathered near the White House following the death of George Floyd.
“Based on the information now available regarding the claims set forth therein, I find that at the time of the incident giving rise to plaintiffs’ claims, Donald J. Trump was acting within the scope of his federal offices or employment,” wrote James Touhey Jr., chief of the Tort Section in the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
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Then-President Trump holds a Bible while visiting St. John’s Church across from the White House after the area was cleared of people protesting the death of George Floyd in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Three people who protested in Lafayette Square in 2020 after Floyd’s death are demanding damages from Trump over the National Guard’s use of chemical weapons to disperse the rioting crowd.
The plaintiffs claim their constitutional rights were violated when military personnel cleared and secured the square on the orders of then-President Trump – officers used pepper spray and smoke bombs to disperse protesters.
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In addition, police officers violently pushed and forced protesters out of the area.
During the demonstrations against the death of George Floyd, clashes between police and protesters occur near the White House. (JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AFP via Getty Images)
The US Department of Justice has already requested that the plaintiffs’ lawsuits be dismissed because there is no evidence of a violation of constitutional rights.
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A federal judge dismissed most of the cases related to the incident in 2021.
Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on June 4, 2024 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The U.S. Department of Justice’s confirmation that Trump acted within the limits of his federal office means that the department is responsible for any liabilities found against the former president.
The case represents another opportunity for the justices to implement and clarify the Supreme Court’s July ruling recognizing that the president enjoys broad immunity in the performance of his official duties.
