A federal appeals court has upheld almost $1 million in financial penalties imposed on President Trump and his attorney Alina Habba for filing what a lower court labeled “frivolous” lawsuits connected to the long-running Russia-collusion controversy—an episode many conservatives continue to view as a politically motivated attempt to damage Trump’s presidency.
The case centers on Trump’s 2022 lawsuit alleging that Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), former FBI Director James Comey, and more than two dozen other political and government figures conspired to falsely tie his 2016 presidential campaign to Russia. Trump argued that this network of Democratic operatives and intelligence officials sought to “discredit, delegitimize and defame” him through misleading documents and coordinated political attacks—what he has consistently referred to as the “Russia, Russia, Russia” hoax.
Appeals Court Agrees With Lower Court’s Penalties
On Wednesday, Chief Judge William Pryor Jr. of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals—appointed by President George W. Bush—affirmed the lower court’s decision, concluding that Trump and Habba engaged in “sanctionable conduct.”
Pryor wrote that the pair “give us no reason to reverse the district court’s ruling that these claims were frivolous,” a position supported by the full appellate panel, including Circuit Judges Andrew Brasher (a Trump appointee) and Embry Kidd (appointed by President Biden).
Their decision leaves in place the original sanctions imposed by District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, an appointee of former President Clinton, who ruled in January 2023 that the lawsuit “should never have been brought.” Middlebrooks ordered Trump and Habba to pay nearly $1 million in legal fees to the defendants—many of whom were high-profile Democratic figures or Trump rivals.
Trump Legal Team Vows to Keep Fighting
In response to Wednesday’s ruling, a spokesperson for the president’s legal team told The Hill that Trump “continues to fight back against all Democrat-led Witch Hunts, including the ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ hoax and un-Constitutional and un-American weaponization of our justice system” by the Biden administration.
The spokesperson added that the president would “continue to pursue this matter to its just and rightful conclusion,” signaling that his team may take further legal steps, potentially including an appeal to the Supreme Court.
