Trump argues he's entitled to broad immunity from civil lawsuits stemming from Jan. 6 assault

Washington — Former President Donald Trump continued to push the argument in federal court that he is entitled to broad immunity from civil lawsuits brought by congressional Democrats and veteran Capitol Police officers who attempt to hold him accountable for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

In a filing with the U.S. appeals court in Washington, lawyers for Trump said the appeal of a lower court's order in February — the district court denied the former president's request to dismiss the case — "requires the adjudication of a simple but important constitutional issue regarding the separation of powers: whether the scope of presidential absolute immunity continues to reach the outer perimeters of presidential responsibilities or whether the immunity can be undercut if the presidential act in question is unpopular among the judiciary."

Trump's attorneys, Jesse Binnall and Molly McCann, argued the decision by the U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta would allow future courts to examine the political context of a presidential act, rather than looking solely at the nature of the act.