WASHINGTON — Former US President Donald Trump has sued Hillary Clinton and several other Democrats, accusing them of trying to rig the 2016 US presidential election by linking his campaign to Russia.

Trump beat Clinton in 2016.

But he alleges "racketeering" and other claims, as part of an "unthinkable plot" to undermine his campaign.

Mr Trump's campaign and transition teams were accused of conspiring with Russian agents to influence the election in his favour.

A report released by a Republican-led US Senate committee in 2020 concluded that Russia used Republican political operative Paul Manafort and the WikiLeaks website to try to help Mr Trump win. Moscow denies any involvement.

The report stated that no evidence of a conspiracy was found, but it did lay out instances where the president possibly obstructed justice.

Trump's legal complaint alleges that "in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, Mrs Clinton and her cohorts orchestrated an unthinkable plot - one that shocks the conscience and is an affront to this nation's democracy.

"Acting in concert, the Defendants maliciously conspired to weave a false narrative that their Republican opponent, Donald J Trump, was colluding with a hostile foreign sovereignty."

Clinton is yet to comment on the lawsuit, which seeks compensatory and punitive damages. Trump said he was forced to incur expenses in excess of $24m (£18m).

Former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former FBI Director James Comey and Democratic political consultant John Podesta are among others named in the complaint.

Russia's alleged election interference resulted in a two-year-long investigation headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller did not determine that Mr Trump or his campaign had colluded with Russia, but the special counsel said his report did not exonerate the president of obstruction of justice.

In his report he stated that "the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts". — BBC