According to his lawyers, a man who assaulted a black woman at a Trump rally last year did so at the urging of Donald Trump. This complicates the now president’s argument that he is immune to civil lawsuits.
Alvin Bamberger was filmed pushing a woman, Kashiya Nwanguma, at a pro-Trump rally in Louisville, Kentucky. During the altercation, Trump shouted at them to “get out” and “get ‘em out of here!”
Just a few short weeks after the altercation, Nwanguma, along with two other protesters, sued Trump, Bamberger and a white nationalist named Matthew Heimbach. Then, last month, a judge ruled that the cases could move forward.
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On Friday, the lawyers for Bamberger denied he assaulted anyone, saying in a court filing that he “admits only that he touched a woman.”
These attorneys also made a claim against Trump saying that throughout the election process, Trump repeatedly urged supporters to throw out protesters and even hinted that he would pay the legal fees of those who did and found themselves in trouble.
“Bamberger had no prior intention to act has he did,” the lawyers wrote. “Bamberger would not have acted as he did without Trump and/or Trump campaign’s specific urging and inspiration.
“To the extent that Bamberger acted, he did so in response to – and inspired by – Trump and/or Trump campaign’s urging to remove the protesters.”
The lawyers feel that if Bamberg is found liable, Trump or his campaign should be as well due to the fact that “Trump and/or Trump campaign urged and inspired Bamberger to act as he did.”
Attorneys for the president have now waded in saying that both Trump and the campaign “lack sufficient information” about most of the claims “and therefore deny them.” The lawyers also said Trump’s “get them out of here” remark wasn’t directed to the crowd.
They gave 15 defenses of the president, among them, the president “is immune from suit because he is president of the United States”; that the protesters waived their claims by getting tickets to the rally; and that the protesters “suffered no actual injury” while also being “responsible for their own injuries.”
They say the “Plaintiffs’ claims are barred by their unclean hands.”
Lawyers for Trump have requested a jury trial, and the protesters are seeking an unknown amount of damages.