Proud Boys, Oath Keepers face lawsuit from D.C. Attorney General over events of Jan. 6

The lawsuit seeks to hit defendants "in their wallets and purses in order to deter and dismantle their ability to strike again," the D.C. attorney general said.

By Madeleine Hubbard

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers groups, as well as the organizations' leaders and specific members for "conspiring to terrorize the District" on Jan. 6, 2021.

The 84-page complaint alleges that the groups "entered into a conspiracy… to storm the Capitol building" and injure Vice President Mike Pence. The suit alleges the groups and their leaders committed the civil conspiracies by interfering with civil rights, failing to prevent the event, intentionally inflicting "emotional distress" and committing battery and assault.

A vocal advocate for police reform, Racine said: "We are filing this lawsuit to hold accountable the groups and individuals who conspired to attack our freedom, brutalize our law enforcement officers, and terrorize our community."

The Democrat attorney general is seeking a jury trial and unspecified "substantial financial damages" from the defendants. "By seeking justice through this civil lawsuit, we will hit the organizers, planners, and participants in their wallets and purses in order to deter and dismantle their ability to strike again," Racine said in a press release on Tuesday.

Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-D.C.), who previously called defunding the police a "useful demand," said, also praised police officers, then said, "It is appropriate that the perpetrators of the attack compensate D.C. for the other costs D.C. incurred that day, including for medical treatment and paid leave, which are outside the scope of the funding I was able to secure for the District."

The case describes the Proud Boys as "a U.S.-based group that promotes and engages in political violence." The Oath Keepers are described as "a militia movement group united by baseless conspiracy theories arising from the idea that the federal government has been coopted by a nefarious group that is trying to strip United States citizens of their rights."

According to the lawsuit, the groups were "motivated by a desire to overturn the legal results of the election and initiate a second term of Donald Trump’s presidency."

Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio is named in the case, and is currently being held in the D.C. jail after burning a Black Lives Matter banner.

A special House committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 issued five subpoenas last month targeting Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders.