’An act of unprecedented treachery’: Democratic Party sues Trump election campaign for ‘gleefully welcoming Russia’s help’ in 2016 elections
If the suit goes ahead, the Democrats’ lawyers could force defendants to produce documents bearing on the collusion issue
The Democratic Party filed a lawsuit against Russia, US President Donald Trump’s campaign and WikiLeaks on Friday, charging that they conspired to disrupt the 2016 US presidential election campaign in “an act of unprecedented treachery”, a court filing showed.
If it goes ahead, the suit could force Trump’s election staff to answer questions under oath about campaign activities, and such evidence could be made public in court filings and at a trial – in contrast to information obtained through Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference, which may not be publicly disclosed.
“During the 2016 presidential campaign, Russia launched an all-out assault on our democracy, and it found a willing and active partner in Donald Trump’s campaign,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement.
“This constituted an act of unprecedented treachery: the campaign of a nominee for president of the United States in league with a hostile foreign power to bolster its own chance to win the presidency.”
The party alleges in the suit, filed in a federal court in Manhattan, that top Trump campaign officials conspired with the Russian government and its military spy agency to hurt Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and tilt the election to Trump by hacking Democratic National Committee computers.
