Judge Fines Trump $1 Million Over ‘Revenge’ Lawsuit Against Hillary Clinton

A federal judge in Florida ordered former President Donald Trump and his lawyer to pay $1 million in penalties on Thursday for targeting Hillary Clinton in a “completely frivolous” lawsuit “that should never have been filed.”

“Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start,” Judge Donald Middlebrooks wrote. “No reasonable lawyer would have filed it.”

He went on to add that the filing was clearly for “political purposes.”

Middlebrooks accused Trump of bringing the case “in bad faith for an improper purpose.”

“Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries,” the order continued. “He is the mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process, and he cannot be seen as a litigant blindly following the advice of a lawyer.”

Both Trump and his lead lawyer, Alina Habba, were instructed to pay $938,000 in fines to cover the 31 defendants’ legal fees. Clinton was named the recipient of $172,000, which was the largest payoff.

Trump had brought the case against Clinton and other political foes for allegedly conspiring against him during the 2016 election by accusing him of secretly working with Russia.

Trump continues to face a long list of investigations and lawsuits for efforts to influence 2020 election results in Georgia and illegally taking classified White House documents with him to his Mar-a-Lago estate after his administration ended. The Trump Organization was also found guilty last week of involvement in a 15-year-long tax fraud scheme which included conspiracy and falsifying business records. It was fined $1.6 million.