Hillary Clinton’s lawyers are trying to get former President Donald Trump’s “Russiagate” lawsuit against her tossed out. Trump’s suit against his former opponent alleges she engaged in “racketeering” and a “conspiracy to commit injurious falsehood” about him and his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia.
Clinton’s lawyers claim the lawsuit has no merit: “Whatever the utility of Plaintiff’s Complaint as a fundraising tool, a press release, or a list of political grievances, it has no merit as a lawsuit, and should be dismissed with prejudice,” the filing says.
One of the lawyers’ biggest arguments is that it happened a long time ago. “By the complaint’s own telling, these alleged events occurred long ago, and Plaintiff has been aware of his purported injuries for years.”
Clinton’s lawyers maintain that “the statute of limitations on his claims expired long ago” and that the First Amendment protects her campaign’s activities during the election. “At most, Plaintiff alleges that other entities sought to further Clinton’s candidacy and, after the election, politically opposed Plaintiff’s administration,” the motion argues.
“This is conduct plainly protected by the First Amendment, and there is nothing unlawful about engagement in political activity” they add. Not only was it a “long time ago” but Clinton’s lawyers say she didn’t even know she was causing harm to Trump and his campaign.
The motion reads “Clinton’s statements deal entirely with Trump’s presidency and his fitness for public office. There is no allegation that Clinton knew or intended that the alleged statements would harm plaintiff’s business interests, or induce others not to deal with him commercially.”
Trump filed the 108-page lawsuit last month against Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and others. His suit alleges the defendants pushed false claims that he colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election by “[crippling] his bid for presidency” and then shifted “their focus to undermining his presidential administration.”
The suit seeks specific damages: “As a direct and proximate cause of the Defendants’ actions, Trump has sustained significant injuries and damages including, but not limited to, expenses in the form of defense costs, legal fees and related expenses … in an amount no less than twenty-four million dollars ($24,000,000) and continuing to accrue, as well as the loss of existing and future business opportunities.”
