DC attorney general sues far-right groups over Jan. 6 attack

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine (D) on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over their role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

The 84-page civil complaint, which also lists dozens of individuals, alleges violations of local D.C. and federal laws, including a statute stemming from the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act, which targets violent conspiracies.

“The images of that shameful and contemptible day can never be erased,” Racine said at a press conference announcing the lawsuit. “It was like 9/11, a planned terrorist attack, but this time, our own citizens were hell bent on destroying the freedoms and ideals on which our country was founded, and continues to aspire to achieve.”

The lawsuit, filed in a Washington, D.C.-based federal court, seeks unspecified amounts of money damages from the defendants for what Racine described as “restitution and recompense” for the injuries inflicted in the attack.

“I can guarantee you that as we proceed, we are going to seek the maximum level of financial penalty,” Racine said in response to a question from a reporter.