The Democratic National Committee has sued President Donald Trump's campaign, his son, his son-in-law, the Russian Federation and WikiLeaks, saying they conspired to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election.
The DNC filed the lawsuit Friday in federal court in Manhattan. It seeks unspecified damages and an order to prevent further interference with DNC computer systems.
The lawsuit says Trump and his associates had relationships with Russia that enabled creation of a Trump-Russia conspiracy.
The DNC says Russia "mounted a brazen attack on American democracy" beginning with a cyberattack on its computers.
It said the hack penetrated DNC computers and phone systems and extracted tens of thousands of documents and emails.
"No one is above the law," the complaint reads. "In the run-up to the 2016 election, Russia mounted a brazen attack on American democracy. The opening salvo was a cyberattack on the DNC, carried out on American soil. In 2015 and 2016, Russian intelligence services hacked into the DNC's computers, penetrated its phone systems, and exfiltrated tens of thousands of documents and emails. Russia then used this stolen information to advance its own interests; destabilizing the U.S. political environment, denigrating the Democratic presidential nominee, and supporting the campaign of Donald J. Trump, whose policies would benefit the Kremlin."
"In the Trump campaign, Russia found a willing and active partner in this effort," the complaint continues. "In 2016, individuals tied to the Kremlin notified the Trump campaign that Russia intended to interfere with our democracy. Through multiple meetings, emails, and other communications, these Russian agents made clear that their government supported Trump and was prepared to use stolen emails and other information to damage his opponent and the Democratic Party."
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Russian election meddling and any ties to Trump campaign associates. That investigation has led to the indictments of multiple former campaign officials, some of whom are named as defendants in the DNC suit
Trump has said repeatedly there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.
(The Associated Press, CBS News contributed to this report.)
