A U.S. judge has dismissed former President Trump’s lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, saying the former president “tried to flaunt a 200-page political manifesto outlining his grievances against those who oppose him.”
Push the news: “This court is not the right forum,” wrote U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks for the Southern District of Florida.
- Middlebrooks said Trump had exceeded the statute of limitations and that “many of the statements that plaintiffs describe as harmful lies qualify as speech that is expressly protected by the First Amendment.”
- “Fundamentally, the problem with plaintiffs’ amended pleadings is that plaintiffs are not attempting to seek redress for any legal damages,” Middlebrooks wrote.
A quick catch: Trump accused Clinton, along with dozens of other Democrats, of collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential election in a 108-page lawsuit in March.
- Trump’s lawsuit alleges that Clinton, her campaign, the Democratic National Committee, former FBI Director James Comey and others “conspicuously conspired to create false stories.”
What are they talking about: “We strongly disagree with the court’s opinion today,” Trump attorney Alina Haba said in a statement.
- “Not only is it rife with the wrongful application of the law, but it also disregards numerous independent government investigations that corroborate our claims that the defendants conspired to wrongly implicate our clients and sabotage the 2016 presidential election.”
- “We will appeal this decision immediately,” Haba said.
deeper… Trump indicts Hillary Clinton and others over Russia collusion allegations
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with a statement from Trump attorney Alina Haba.