Clinton Wants $1M From Trump Over Failed Conspiracy Suit

Last March, former President Trump filed a sweeping RICO lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and a host of other Democrats, alleging they engaged in a vast conspiracy to undermine his ultimately successful 2016 presidential campaign. Now, per the Hill, Clinton et al want Trump to cover $1.06 million in legal expenses they incurred as a result of the suit, which was dismissed in September by US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, a Bill Clinton appointee. Per the Washington Post, Middlebrooks wrote in his "scathing" 65-page decision that the suit was riddled with "glaring structural deficiencies" and Trump was "seeking to flaunt a 200-page political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him."

Trump has appealed to the 11th Circuit, where he happened to appoint 6 out of 11 current judges. In the meantime, in a motion filed Monday, per Law & Crime, Clinton’s lawyers accuse Trump’s team of "unreasonable and vexatious conduct" by filing and amending a "factually and legally defective" suit. Under federal law, judges can order attorneys to pay excess costs for actions that effectively amount to a waste of time. "A reasonable attorney would never have filed this suit, let alone continued to prosecute it after multiple Defendants’ motions to dismiss highlighted its fundamental and incurable defects," Clinton’s team wrote in the motion, filed on behalf of John Podesta, Robby Mook, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC, and many others.

In a statement to Law & Crime, Trump attorney Alina Habba said, "We vehemently deny the inflammatory allegations … This motion, conveniently filed one week prior to election day, is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to score political points." Per Bloomberg, Clinton’s motion also refers to appearances Habba made on conservative news shows, alleging that her remarks "are evidence the case was filed for political purposes." On March 31, Habba told Newsmax that the “real goal” of the suit “is continuing to make sure that our elections, continuing to make sure our justice system is not obstructed by political enemies.” (More Hillary Clinton stories.)