Trump has filed a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton for alleged Russian collusion
Key Takeaways:
- Former US President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party leaders, and others, alleging that they falsely accused him of colluding with Russia ahead of the 2016 election.
- A Russian analyst who contributed to the dossier has been charged in the United States with lying to FBI agents investigating some of the dossier's findings.
- A report released by a Republican-led Senate panel also revealed multiple contacts between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
On Thursday, former US President Donald Trump sued Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party leaders, and others, alleging that they falsely suspected him of colluding with Russia ahead of the 2016 election.
"Hillary Clinton and her cohorts orchestrated an unthinkable plot in the run-up to the 2016 Presidential Election — one that shocks the conscience and is an affront to this nation's democracy," according to the complaint filed in federal court in Florida.
"The Defendants conspired maliciously to weave a false story that their Republican opponent, Donald J. Trump, was colluding with a hostile foreign sovereignty," it said. "They collaborated with a single, self-serving goal: to demonize Donald J. Trump."
"The actions took in furtherance of their scheme — falsifying proof, deceiving law enforcement, and gaining access to highly sensitive data sources — are so outrageous, subversive, and incendiary that even the Watergate events pale in comparison," the complaint continued.
The Democratic National Committee, John Podesta, who serves as the chairman of Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, as well as former FBI Director James Comey, is among the named defendants.
Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer who generated a dossier containing allegedly compromising information regarding Trump ahead of the election, was also named a defendant.
Trump repeatedly denounced the Steele dossier as "fake," The New York Times determined that many of its claims lacked corroborating evidence.
In the United States, a Russian analyst who contributed to the dossier has been charged with lying to FBI agents investigating some of its findings.
The Perkins Coie law firm, which was operating for the Clinton campaign, and Fusion GPS, a private firm hired by Perkins Coie to conduct opposition research, were also named defendants.
Trump is seeking a jury trial and damages of at least $72 million.
Robert Mueller, the former special counsel, investigated Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and discovered multiple meetings between Trump advisers and Russians.
However, Mueller stopped short of saying that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in a criminal conspiracy, prompting Trump to declare that "no collusion" had occurred.
Multiple contacts between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials were also revealed in a report released by a Republican-led Senate panel. Still, the report did not confirm the existence of a conspiracy.
According to the Senate report, Paul Manafort, one of Trump's former campaign managers, had a long-term relationship with Konstantin Kilimnik, an alleged Russian intelligence officer, and had given him internal campaign information.