Former President Donald Trump is making a renewed attempt to pursue a racketeering lawsuit against Hillary Clinton over alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election.
According to Newsweek, Trump has been granted an extension to file a brief of up to 10,000 words explaining why his case should be heard. The lawsuit, originally filed in March 2022, accuses Clinton and other defendants of conspiring to undermine Trump's 2016 campaign.
The case, filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, seeks over $70 million in damages. Trump claims he spent more than $24 million defending himself against what he alleges were false accusations of Russian collusion during the 2016 election.
Florida Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Kevin Newsom has granted Trump's legal team permission to file a longer court document than normally allowed. The team's request to extend the word limit and filing deadline was approved without opposition.
The new deadline for submitting the brief is now September 27, 2024, extended from the original date of August 30. The word limit has also been increased from 6,500 to 10,000.
Trump's lawyers attributed the need for the extension to conflicts with other ongoing hearings. This decision shows that Trump remains intent on continuing the case, even after facing a prior legal challenge.
The lawsuit was initially dismissed in September 2022 by Florida federal judge Donald M. Middlebrooks. In his ruling, Middlebrooks strongly criticized Trump's claims: "Such pleadings waste judicial resources and are an unacceptable form of establishing a claim for relief."
The judge also accused Trump of attempting to use the court as a platform for airing political grievances, describing the lawsuit as a "two-hundred-page political manifesto."
Trump's lawsuit targets Hillary Clinton and several other high-profile individuals and organizations. The list of defendants includes the Democratic National Committee, Democratic congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and former FBI director James Comey.
The inclusion of these parties underscores the broad scope of Trump's allegations, which center on what he claims was a coordinated effort to discredit his 2016 presidential campaign.
If Trump's appeal is successful and the case proceeds, it could have significant ramifications for political discourse and legal precedent. The lawsuit alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy involving multiple actors in the political and law enforcement spheres.
However, the case faces substantial hurdles, given the previous dismissal and the strong language used by Judge Middlebrooks in rejecting Trump's claims. The appeal process will likely scrutinize whether Trump's legal team can present a more compelling argument that meets the court's standards for a valid RICO claim.
Donald Trump is seeking to revive his racketeering lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and others, alleging interference in the 2016 election. The case, which seeks over $70 million in damages, was previously dismissed but has been granted an extension for appeal. The outcome of this legal battle could have significant implications for political and legal landscapes.
