A Texas Republican congressman who fought side-by-side with Capitol Police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incursion — and became an outspoken critic of them — is now fighting against the agency in court.
In a lawsuit, Rep. Troy Nehls alleges the Capitol Police retaliated against him for his vocal, public criticism of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the wake of the incursion.
And he focuses specifically on an action that occurred just after Thanksgiving, 2021, more than 10 months after the violence.
The lawsuit, which names the United States government as defendant and seeks $2.5 million in damages, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, which covers Nehls’ congressional district.
It cites a well-publicized incident in which a Capitol Police officer entered his office on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, while Congress was on its Thanksgiving break.