Judge allows Trump to be impeached over his role in the Capitol events

Former US President Donald Trump could be prosecuted for his role in his supporters' attack on the Capitol, a judge announced Friday, saying the Republican leader does not enjoy presidential immunity in the case.

The former president is the target of several lawsuits filed by elected officials and police who accuse him of direct responsibility for the violence committed by his supporters when they stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

A judge in Washington decided to accept those complaints on the grounds that Trump's actions on that day were "unofficial acts ... wholly related to his pursuit of a second term in office," which the judge said did not fall within the scope of presidential immunity.

And the judge wrote in his 112-page report that "depriving the chief of immunity from civil damages is not a simple step," adding that "the court is well aware of the seriousness of the decision."

The judge said Trump's address to thousands of his supporters who gathered in Washington before the attack could "reasonably" be seen as a "call for collective action."

Shortly after Trump addressed his supporters, a crowd waving "Trump 2020" flags descended on the National Mall to the US Capitol.

Hundreds of them stormed the Capitol.

At the same time, Trump criticized Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter for not blocking the confirmation of Joe Biden's victory in the election, which the judge considered a "tacit approval" with those who stormed the Capitol.

The former president is the target of three lawsuits that hold him responsible for the Capitol events.

A special committee in the House of Representatives is also considering the role he played that day.

The committee possesses hundreds of documents, text messages and testimonies, some of which Trump sought, according to the committee chairman, to withhold.

The billionaire ex-president denounced the investigation as a "hunt".

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