WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Attorneys for President Donald Trump urged a federal judge on Friday to rule that Trump is entitled to presidential immunity from civil claims that he instigated a mob\u2019s attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election.<\/p>\n
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta didn\u2019t rule from the bench after hearing arguments from Trump attorneys and lawyers for Democratic members of Congress who sued the Republican president and allies over the Jan. 6. 2021, attack.<\/p>\n
Trump spoke to a crowd of his supporters at the \u201cStop the Steal\u201d rally near the White House before the mob\u2019s attack disrupted the joint session of Congress for certifying Democratic President Joe Biden\u2019s electoral victory.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s attorneys argue<\/a>\u00a0that his conduct leading up to Jan. 6 and on the day of the riot is protected by presidential immunity because he was acting in his official capacity.<\/p>\n \u201cThe entire point of immunity is to give the president clarity to speak in the moment as the commander-in-chief,\u201d Trump attorney Joshua Halpern told the judge.<\/p>\n The lawmakers\u2019 lawyers argue<\/a>\u00a0Trump can\u2019t prove he was acting entirely in his official capacity rather than as an office-seeking private individual. And the U.S. Supreme Court has held that office-seeking conduct falls outside the scope of presidential immunity, they contend.<\/p>\n