Hillary Clinton, top Democrats file motion to sanction Trump for 'frivolous' lawsuit

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
(Image credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined a number of other top Democrats in a court motion seeking to sanction former President Donald Trump for filing a debunked racketeering lawsuit against them, USA Today reported Wednesday.

In the motion, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, Florida, attorneys for Clinton argued that Trump should be sanctioned for more than $1 million in legal expenses that the former secretary of state incurred while fighting Trump's lawsuit. Beyond Clinton, the motion also requested that Trump be forced to pay the legal bills of others associated with Clinton, including her 2016 presidential campaign manager, John Podesta, USA Today reported.

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The motion revolves around a racketeering lawsuit filed in March by Trump, in which the former president claimed there was a massive conspiracy among dozens of top Democrats to try to stop his political career.

However, the lawsuit was quickly dismissed by a district judge, who wrote in his decision that "what [Trump's lawsuit] lacks in substance and legal support it seeks to substitute with length, hyperbole, and the settling of scores and grievances."

The judge added that Trump's actions were "a list of political grievances" that "had no merit as a lawsuit."

Justin Klawans, The Week US

Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.