House lawmaker accuses Trump in lawsuit of inciting Capitol riot, impeding election certification

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic congressman has sued Donald Trump, alleging Trump incited the deadly insurrection at the Capitol. The Washington federal court lawsuit is part of an expected wave of litigation over the riot and is believed to be the first filed by a member of Congress. It alleges Trump conspired with members of far-right extremist groups to try to prevent Congress from certifying the presidential election results. It was filed by Mississippi congressman Bennie Thompson under a Reconstruction-era law known as the Ku Klux Klan Act and comes days after Trump was acquitted in an impeachment trial. It seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages. A Trump adviser says Trump “did not incite” any violence at the Capitol.