Editor’s Note: Michael D’Antonio is the author of the book “Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success” and co-author, with Peter Eisner, of the book “High Crimes: The Corruption, Impunity, and Impeachment of Donald Trump.” The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.
CNN —
Two court rulings are forcing Donald Trump to think about a future when the world will learn more truths about the former president than it has ever known and he may suffer crushing injuries to his mystique and his bottom line.
The most recent decision, made by federal district court Judge Amit P. Mehta in the Distict of Columbia, says lawsuits intended to hold him to account for the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol can proceed. “The President’s January 6 Rally Speech can reasonably be viewed as a call for collective action,” Mehta observed, reasoning Trump’s inciting speech prior to the attack was made not as an official with immunity from civil litigation, but as a man desperate to overturn the 2020 election.
Mehta wrote Trump likely knew far-right groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, heard his speech and “It is reasonable to infer that the President knew that these were militia groups and that they were prepared to partake in violence for him.” The suits, filed by two members of Congress and two Capitol police officers, seek damages related to the physical and psychological harm they suffered as a mob following Trump’s call for a “...
Pakistani actress and model Ayesha Omar has strongly denied a controversial statement falsely attributed to her on social media. In recent days, a statement circulated online claiming that the act...