Former President Trump filed a lawsuit against 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and numerous top Democratic officials, including former DNC chairwoman Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former FBI Director James Comey, and longtime Democratic political consultant John Podesta for taking part in what he called a "far-reaching conspiracy" to tarnish his 2016 presidential bid by tying it to Russia. He is alleging RICO violations and si seeking $72 million in damages. The lawsuit alleges that "their far-reaching conspiracy was designed to cripple Trump's bid for the presidency by fabricating a scandal that would be used to trigger an unfounded federal investigation and ignite a media frenzy."

TOPLINE Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Thursday against 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and numerous top Democratic officials for taking part in what he called a "far-reaching conspiracy" to tarnish his 2016 presidential bid by tying it to Russia.

KEY FACTS

Trump's civil suit invokes the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, commonly used to prosecute organized crime, to claim Clinton and top Democrats "orchestrated an unthinkable plot" to damage his campaign.

The 108-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, contains numerous allegations that Clinton and others "maliciously conspired to weave a false narrative that their Republican opponent, Donald J. Trump, was colluding with a hostile foreign sovereignty," prompting probes into the connection that damaged the Trump campaign's image.