Rep. Bennie Thompson files civil lawsuit against Trump for Jan. 6 riot: 'We must hold him accountable'

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., on Tuesday filed a civil lawsuit against former President Trump, accusing him of inciting the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot and conspiring with attorney Rudy Giuliani and extremist groups to stop Congress from certifying President Biden's Electoral College win.

Thompson's suit was believed to be the first filed by a member of Congress against Trump for the fallout of the Jan. 6 riot that ended with five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. The lawsuit sought an unspecified amount of monetary damages. Other members of Congress are expected to sign on. In addition to Trump and Giuliani, the 32-page lawsuit names the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, far-right extremist groups, as defendants.  "January 6th was one of the most shameful days in our country’s history, and it was instigated by the president himself," Thompson said in a statement. "His gleeful support of violent white supremacists led to a breach of the Capitol that put my life, and that of my colleagues, in grave danger. It is by the slimmest of luck that the outcome was not deadlier.