Trump loses appeal to revive conspiracy suit against Clinton

President Donald Trump failed to sway a US appeals court to revive his civil lawsuit accusing Hillary Clinton and others of conspiring to tarnish his 2016 campaign with bogus claims of collusion with Russia.

The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday affirmed the dismissal of the case more than three years ago by a federal judge in Florida who called Trump’s complaint an improper political “manifesto.” The court also upheld almost $1 million in sanctions against the president and his lawyer at the time for bringing a “frivolous” lawsuit.

The suit, filed in 2022, alleged that Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and an array of political operatives violated the federal racketeering law by conspiring to taint Trump’s reputation with false claims that he was “colluding” with Russia.

The three-judge appellate panel said in its unanimous opinion that Trump’s claims are “untimely and otherwise meritless.”

A representative for Trump’s legal team didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment. David Kendall, Clinton’s lawyer, declined to comment.

The decision was handed down just a week after the 11th Circuit held oral arguments in Birmingham, Alabama. At the hearing, Trump’s attorney said the president “is the victim in this case of a continuous pattern of misconduct,” adding that the collusion theories damaged Trump’s brand and forced him to spend millions of dollars defending himself on multiple fronts.

Trump’s attempt to revive the lawsuit came as his personal attorneys have been filing an array of suits against news organizations that he says are covering him unfairly. The US Justice Department also has brought charges against or is investigating several of the president’s perceived political enemies.

Earlier this week, a federal judge threw out criminal charges against two of Trump’s critics, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.