WASHINGTON: Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his role in the attack on the US Capitol by his supporters, a judge decided Friday, ruling that the Republican does not enjoy presidential immunity in this case.
The former president is the target of several lawsuits by elected officials and police who accuse him of being directly responsible for the violence perpetrated by his supports when they stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
A judge in Washington, DC, ruled that these complaints were admissible on the grounds that Trump’s actions that day were “unofficial acts” that “entirely concern his efforts to remain in office for a second term,” which the judge said does not fall within the scope of presidential immunity.
“To deny a President immunity from civil damages is no small step,” judge Amit Mehta wrote in findings that ran to 112 pages. “The court well understands the gravity of its decision.”
The judge also said Trump’s speech to thousands of supporters gathered in Washington before the assault could “reasonably” be perceived as a “call for collective action.”
Shortly after Trump addressed his supporters, a crowd waving “TRUMP 2020” flags marched down the Mall to the seat of the US Congress, with hundreds forcing their way into the Capitol building.
At the same time, Trump took to Twitter to criticize his vice president Mike Pence for not blocking certification of Joe Biden’s election victory, an act the judge said constituted “tacit agreement” with those who stormed the Capitol.
The former president is the subject of three lawsuits accusing him of responsibility in the Capitol riot.
His role on that day is also being examined by a House of Representatives select committee, which has in its possession hundreds of pages of documents, text messages and testimonies, some of which the head of the probe said Trump had sought to keep hidden.
The billionaire former president has slammed the investigation as a “witch hunt.”
Trump can be prosecuted for role in US Capitol riot, judge rules
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Trump can be prosecuted for role in US Capitol riot, judge rules
- The former president is the subject of three lawsuits accusing him of responsibility in the Capitol riot
India marks ‘significant stride’ in space sector with launch of its heaviest satellite
- Wednesday’s mission also marks India’s 100th orbital launch
- India plans to launch its first human space mission in 2027
NEW DELHI: India launched its heaviest communication satellite on Wednesday, marking the latest feat in the country’s efforts to establish itself in the global space industry.
The Indian Space Research Organization launched a LVM-3 rocket carrying the BlueBird Block-2 satellite, which weighs over 6 tonnes, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota island off the Bay of Bengal at 8:55 a.m. local time.
Codenamed LVM3-M6, the mission was the ISRO’s 100th orbital launch and involved deploying the US-built satellite in low Earth orbit.
“A significant stride in India’s space sector,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X soon after the mission was declared successful by the ISRO.
“It strengthens India’s heavy-lift launch capability and reinforces our growing role in the global commercial launch market.”
The BlueBird Block-2 satellite was the “heaviest payload ever launched” from Indian soil, breaking a record set by the ISRO only last month, when it launched the CMS-03 communication satellite, which weighs about 4.4 tonnes.
“The successful LVM3-M6 launch of ISRO’s heaviest commercial payload to date marks a quantum leap in India’s launch capabilities, pushing the boundaries of LVM3’s performance in low Earth orbit,” Lt. Gen. (Retd) A. K. Bhatt, director-general of the Indian Space Association, said in a statement.
The mission exemplified the Indian space agency’s capability to handle “heavier payloads that cater to the global demand for advanced satellite constellations,” he added.
Under Modi, India has been making breakthroughs in the space industry.
For the past few years, the government has been creating the environment and long-term investment for the industry to flourish and involve the private sector. The ISRO has achieved significant milestones to add to India’s status as an emerging space superpower.
The achievements include a successful space docking mission in January. And the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 moon rover making history in 2023 by landing on the lunar surface. This made India the first country to land near the lunar south pole and the fourth to land on the moon — after the US, Soviet Union and China.
The ISRO is planning to use a modified version of the LVM-3 rocket for its future space missions, including India’s first human spaceflight program, the Gaganyaan mission, in 2027.
Its long-term space ambitions include building a modular space facility, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, by 2035, and sending the first Indian to the moon by 2040.
