Former President Donald Trump and his lawyer, Alina Habba, have been fined nearly $1 million by a federal judge in Florida for filing what he ruled a "frivolous" lawsuit claiming that Hillary Clinton and others were involved in the Russia investigation unlawfully conspired to damage Trump's reputation.

The suit was dismissed as a "manifesto" in September, and Trump was ordered to pay tens of thousands in November after one defendant sought sanctions. The latest order came after a group of the remaining defendants, including Clinton, filed a separate request for sanctions.

Trump is a "prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries," wrote U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks in his blistering 46-page judgment published Thursday.

"We are confronted with a lawsuit that should never have been filed, which was completely frivolous, both factually and legally, and which was brought in bad faith for an improper purpose," Middlebrooks wrote.

Trump — who has announced his bid for the presidency in 2024 — Habba and the Habba Madaio & Associates law firm are jointly liable for $937,989.39, the court found.

"He is the mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process, and he cannot be seen as a litigant blindly following the advice of a lawyer. He knew full well the impact of his actions," Middlebrooks wrote. "As such, I find that sanctions should be imposed upon Mr. Trump and his lead counsel, Ms. Habba."

Trump sued Clinton, his 2016 presidential challenger, for allegedly "acting in concert" with top FBI leadership to promote what became known as the Russia investigation into interference in the 2016 election. Trump had argued that the Russia probe was "prolonged and exacerbated by the presence of a small faction of Clinton loyalists who were well-positioned within the Department of Justice."

Judge Middlebrooks dismissed the case after he found that Trump engaged in actions that amounted to obstruction of justice, as well as including allegations that were known to be false. His legal arguments, including racketeering and conspiracy, were found to be without foundation.

Middlebrooks noted for instance that Trump's allegations that former FBI director James Comey conspired with Clinton to prosecute him were wrong – as Trump was never indicted – while such a conspiracy was implausible since Comey likely damaged Clinton's 2016 campaign by reopening the investigation into her emails.

"I find that the pleadings here were abusive litigation tactics. The complaint and amended complaint were drafted to advance a political narrative; not to address legal harm caused by any defendant," Middlebrooks wrote of Trump's lawsuit.

The judge also found that Trump's racketeering and conspiracy lawsuit appeared to be part of a pattern by the former president of exploiting the courts by filing frivolous lawsuits in order to serve a political purpose.

"Misuse of the courts by Mr. Trump and his lawyers undermines the rule of law, portrays judges as partisans, and diverts resources from those who have suffered actual legal harm," Middlebrooks wrote.

Trump's team had previously unsuccessfully filed a motion to dismiss Middlebrooks, who was appointed to the bench in 1997 by then-President Bill Clinton.

The penalty handed down by the Middlebrooks is designed to dissuade future frivolous lawsuits from Trump and his team and comes in addition to a $50,000 fine imposed in November and $16,000 in reimbursement of legal costs for Charles Dolan, a Democratic public relations executive, who filed the initial sanctions request.

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