- Trump's lawyers said Twitter "damaged the integrity" of the election process by banning him in 2021.
- Trump's legal team's claim comes as part of a lawsuit seeking to force Twitter to reinstate his account.
- Twitter permanently banned Trump from its platform two days after the Capitol riot.
Former President Donald Trump's legal team said in a new court filing that Twitter "damaged the integrity" of the election process by banning him and asked a court to force Twitter to reinstate Trump's account.
In new court documents filed Monday, Trump's lawyers claimed his 2021 ban following the deadly Capitol riot hurt the "free and open exchange of ideas that underpin our democracy."
"Mr. Trump's injuries are not only ongoing, but worsening, because they flow from the silencing of Mr. Trump's political speech as the presumptive head of the Republican party at a time when the nation is drawing ever-closer to the 2022 elections, including his endorsement of candidates in primary races that are currently commencing throughout the nation," Trump's lawyers wrote in the filing.
Twitter permanently banned Trump from its platform on January 8, 2021, two days after thousands of his supporters laid siege to the US Capitol in a failed effort to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. At least seven people died in connection to the attack, according to a bipartisan Senate report.
Following the riot, Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account, citing the "risk of further incitement of violence." Other social media giants including Facebook and Instagram followed suit.
Trump initially filed his lawsuit against Twitter in October 2021.
Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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