Judge sanctions Trump, Habba nearly $1 million for 'completely frivolous' Clinton suit - POLITICO

The justice ordered Trump and Habba to wage $938,000 to screen the ineligible costs for the 31 defendants Trump linked successful his year-old lawsuit. It’s the second time Middlebrooks has sanctioned Habba successful the Clinton lawsuit. The archetypal clip was a $50,000 bid sought by a azygous defendant, Charles Dolan. The caller circular of sanctions was sought by the remaining defendants.

In the caller order, Hillary Clinton got the biggest grant of fees for a azygous defendant: astir $172,000.

It’s the latest ineligible setback for Trump, who continues to look peril successful advancing transgression probes and civilian lawsuits related to his effort to overturn the 2020 predetermination and his retention of delicate nationalist information records astatine his Mar-a-Lago property aft leaving office.

Middlebrooks’ ruling included a point-by-point recitation of the flaws successful Trump’s archetypal lawsuit, noting that it often misstated, distorted oregon cherrypicked from cardinal documents helium claimed supported allegations of a expansive conspiracy betwixt Clinton and the Justice Department to people Trump for transgression prosecution.

“The Amended Complaint is simply a hodgepodge of disconnected, often immaterial events, followed by an implausible conclusion. This is simply a deliberate effort to harass; to archer a communicative without respect to facts,” Middlebrooks, an appointee of erstwhile president Bill Clinton, wrote.

He specifically cited Trump’s assertion that Clinton conspired with erstwhile FBI Director James Comey to question a Trump prosecution — 1 that Middlebrooks noted ne'er occurred — arsenic “categorically absurd.” He besides noted that Trump and Habba repeatedly mischaracterized the findings of peculiar counsel Robert Mueller’s report. They besides cited Russian quality — shared by then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe with Sen. Lindsey Graham — arsenic a ground for 1 of their claims, without noting that it was Russian quality and that Ratcliffe said it was unverified.

“Mr. Trump’s lawyers saw nary nonrecreational impediment oregon irony successful relying upon Russian quality arsenic the bully religion ground for their allegation,” Middlebrooks wrote.

In his order, Middlebrooks cited Habba’s attacks connected him successful a Fox News interview, which helium said continued to distort the facts of the lawsuit and marque baseless allegations of improprieties by national judges and magistrates. He besides recounted a litany of different cases filed by Trump and his attorneys that bore akin hallmarks of frivolity.