Trump, Lawyer Fined $938K for Clinton, DNC Lawsuits

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Facts

• Former US Pres. Trump and his lawyer, Alina Habba, were fined roughly $938K by federal Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks in Florida for filing what Middlebrooks suggested was a bogus lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and others.
• Trump filed the lawsuit in March 2022 claiming that in 2016, then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and others crafted a 'malicious conspiracy' and asserted that Trump's campaign had ties to Russia, which subsequently 'destroyed' Trump's life.
• Middlebrooks said the 'case should never have been brought' and that 'no reasonable lawyer would have filed it.' He added that 'thirty-one individuals and entities were needlessly harmed,' — including former US Dept. of Justice and FBI officials, to 'advance a political narrative.'
• The case was dismissed by Middlebrooks in September. In November, Trump was ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars when one defendant requested sanctions; the ruling said that Trump's attempts were 'frivolous' and amounted to obstruction of justice.
• Among others Trump sued were former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Clinton campaign chief John Podesta, research firm Fusion GPS, Christopher Steele, and former FBI officials James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, and Lisa Page.
• This was one among several recent separate lawsuits filed by Trump — including against the Pulitzer Prize board, Big Tech companies, and CNN. Middlebrooks described him as 'a prolific and sophisticated litigant' who uses the courts 'to seek revenge' on political enemies.

Sources: Independent, NBC, New York Post, Guardian, Breitbart and Independent.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Judge Middlebrook issued a scathing ruling. As Trump continues to grasp at courtroom straws in an attempt to smear his political enemies, Middlebrooks and the rest of America will see how far the one-time president has fallen as they witness his reaction to not getting his way.
• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by New York Post. We seem to have forgotten that the claims made in Trump's lawsuit have all been established facts for a while now. The DNC did pay British spy Christopher Steele to create a fake Trump-Russia dossier, which the FBI then used to obtain its secret FISA warrant to surveil the Trump campaign. And when the FBI later offered Steele $1M to prove his claims, he couldn't do it. These are well-known facts, not 'frivolous' conspiracy theories.