The District of Columbia has filed a suit against the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers organizations over what Attorney General Karl Racine says was their role in the January 6 pro-Trump riot at the US Capitol. Thirty-four members of the Proud Boys and 18 members of the Oath Keepers have been charged in the attack, according to the US House of Representatives’ January 6 committee. More than 30 individuals are also named in the suit, which was filed in US District Court for the District of Columbia and cites the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. You can read the suit below.
After former President Trump called for his “wild” rally that day, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers “immediately began working together to coordinate their efforts,” the suit says. Members of the groups planned to disguise their identities, to gather equipment, and to arrange transportation for members. Racine said he looks forward to probing the groups’ finances in the course of the lawsuit. “We are going to seek the maximum level of financial penalties,” he said.
Asked whether the groups have any assets to seek, Racine said, “If that so happens that we bankrupt them, that’s a good day.”
The attack “caused the District to deploy unprecedented resources,” Racine said at a press conference Tuesday. DC police were intimately involved in the Capitol’s defense. Many were injured and two died by suicide afterward. Police sign up to protect citizens, Racine said. “They don’t sign up for war on our country,” he added, calling the rioters “thugs.”
DC Proud Boys Suit by Washingtonian Magazine on Scribd
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
