New York Judge Finds Former President Trump in Contempt
New York, N.Y. — Former President Donald Trump is in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James, a New York judge has ruled.
The order, handed down by Judge Arthur Engoron of the state Supreme Court in Manhattan, also requires the former president to pay a fine of $10,000 per day until he is in compliance.
James has been conducting a civil investigation into Trump’s business dealings, while attorneys for the former president claim they’ve conducted a thorough search for the documents the attorney general is seeking, but simply have nothing to provide her.
Andrew Amer, an attorney for James’ office, said in court Monday that a March 31 deadline set by the court had come and gone and the office had gotten nothing.
“Is Mr. Trump thumbing his nose at this court’s order?” he asked.
Trump attorney Alina Habba responded by saying she personally took part in the search for the documents, and even traveled to Florida to interview Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
“There is simply nothing more for him to provide,” she said.
But the judge sided with James and her office.
“Mr. Trump, I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously,” Engoron said as he handed down his decision.
The judge’s written order will be filed on Tuesday.
Engoron said he decided against Trump because his lawyers failed to provide sufficient detail about the search for the business records.
An ebullient James said via Twitter, “Despite a crystal clear order from the court, Donald Trump has refused to turn over documents as part of our investigation into him and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings.”
Speaking for her client outside the courthouse, Habba said they plan to appeal.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision today. All of the documents, as I explained, responsive to the subpoena, were already produced to the attorney general months ago,” Habba said.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue
We're proud to make our journalism accessible to everyone, but producing high-quality journalism comes at a cost. That's why we need your help. By making a contribution today, you'll be supporting TWN and ensuring that we can keep providing our journalism for free to the public.
Donate now and help us continue to publish TWN’s distinctive journalism. Thank you for your support!
