The Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Russian Government, numerous top officials in the Trump Campaign, and the WikiLeaks organization. The lawsuit alleges that Trump campaign officials conspired with the Russian government to help Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election by hacking the computer networks of the Democratic Party and releasing the information found.
According to an article by the Washington Post, the lawsuit “echoes a similar legal tactic that the Democratic Party used during the Watergate scandal. In 1972, the DNC filed suit against former president Richard Nixon’s reelection committee seeking $1 million in damages for the break-in at Democratic headquarters in the Watergate building.” That lawsuit was ultimately successful.
Today’s lawsuit notably does not name Donald Trump himself as defendant, instead naming people close to Trump who allegedly met with Russian affiliates during the campaign, including Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Jared Kushner, George Papadopoulos, and Richard Gates. Trump has repeatedly denied that his campaign colluded with Russia.
Follow the docket report and get the latest filings, including the complaint, on Justia:
Democratic National Committee v. The Russian Federation et al.
Additional Reading
Watergate Lawyer: Trump Is Going Full Nixon on Mueller, The Atlantic
D.N.C. Lawsuit Alleges Trump-Russia Conspiracy, New York Times, April 20, 2018
