Former President Donald Trump opened a lawsuit against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his opponent in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump accused Hillary and others of conspiring to topple his presidency through an “unthinkable plot” involving Russian collusion allegations.
Allegations of Russian collusion against Trump and his presidential campaign — which led to an expensive, two-year investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller — ultimately proved unfounded. Trump is seeking between $21 to $72 million in damages.
Experts said Trump’s case is unlikely to win, and the 108-page filing reads like the “greatest hits of Trump’s long-held grievances” over the 2016 and 2020 elections.
“In the run-up to the 2016 Presidential Election, Hillary Clinton and her cohorts orchestrated an unthinkable plot – one that shocks the conscience and is an affront to this nation’s democracy,” the complaint said. “Acting in concert, the Defendants maliciously conspired to weave a false narrative that their Republican opponent, Donald J. Trump, was colluding with a hostile foreign sovereignty.”
“The actions taken in furtherance of their scheme—falsifying evidence, deceiving law enforcement, and exploiting access to highly-sensitive data sources—are so outrageous, subversive and incendiary that even the events of Watergate pale in comparison,” the complaint continued.
Since leaving office, Trump has bucked tradition in his post-presidency life by staying active in D.C. politics.
Trump has made it no secret that he plans to run for president again in 2024. However, his status as “kingmaker” in the Republican Party has been questioned more frequently in recent months.
Insider polls show support for his presumable 2024 presidential campaign has dipped in recent weeks, too.
Trump’s advantage in the GOP primary is the lowest it’s been since February of 2021, with 55% now saying they’d support the former President. pic.twitter.com/9XLaJBDmGJ
— Echelon Insights (@EchelonInsights) March 23, 2022
Some Trump-backed Republicans have failed to gain ground in the 2022 primary. Trump recently withdrew his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks, R-A.L., Senate campaign after Brooks struggled in the polls.
Brooks suggested that it was time to “move on” from Trump’s complaints about the 2020 election, angering the former president and alienating his loyalists.
The Trump-backed Republican running for governor in Georgia, former Sen. David Purdue, has also struggled to gain traction in the polls.
Of course, it’s not all bad for Trump.
He remains exceedingly popular among the Republican base. His primary challenger to rival Liz Chenery, R-M.T., seems poised for victory. And his longtime friend, former NFL star Hershel Walker, is dominating the Republican senate primary race in Georgia.
And Trump recently won a key victory in Democrat-run New York.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Thursday that his office was suspending its investigations into Trump “indefinitely.” Trump has repeatedly called the investigations into his business practices a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
Can he extend that legal victory and force Hillary and her allies to pay millions?
Or will Trump’s grievances alienate independent voters?
Time will tell.
The Horn editorial team