Paul Haggis' rape trial: Jury selection begins, key details here

In response to civil suits running parallel to Congress' own Jan. 6 inquiry, Trump's lawyers claimed he was acting within his official rights and had no intention to spark violence when he called on thousands of supporters to ``march to the Capitol'' and ``fight like hell'' to disrupt the Senate's certification of the 2020 election results.

``There has never been an example of someone successfully being able to sue a president for something that happened during his term of office,'' said Trump lawyer Jesse Binnall. ``That absolute immunity of the presidency is very important.''

The five-hour hearing in Washington before U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta concerned Trump's attempts to have the civil suits dismissed. Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California brought one of the suits against Trump and a host of others, including Donald Trump Jr., Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks and right-wing group the Oath Keepers, charging responsibility for the violent breach of the Capitol building by Trump supporters.

The other lawsuits, brought by Democratic representatives and two Capitol Police officers, claim that statements by Trump and Brooks on and before Jan. 6 essentially qualify as part of a political campaign, and are therefore fair game for litigation. Plaintiffs are seeking damages for the physical and emotional injuries they sustained during the insurrection.