A judge in New York is holding former President Donald Trump in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena from N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James’ office.
Trump will be fined $10,000 per day until he complies with the subpoena to turn over documents to the attorney general’s office as part of its investigation into the former president’s business dealings.
“Mr. Trump, I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously, I hereby hold you in civil contempt and fine you $10,000 a day,” New York Supreme Court judge Arthur Engoron said Monday.
“In a major victory, a court has ruled in our favor to hold Donald Trump in contempt of court,” James wrote on Twitter after the ruling. “Donald Trump must pay $10,000 per day for every day that he continues to defy the court’s order to turn over documents to my office.”
James has been conducting a lengthy investigation into the Trump Organization, the former president’s family company, centering around what she has claimed is a pattern of misleading banks and tax authorities about the value of his properties.
“Today, justice prevailed,” James added. “Our investigation into Donald Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings will continue undeterred because no one is above the law.”
Spokespeope for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The former president has previously railed against James’ investigation, branding it a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
The contempt finding by the judge came despite a spirited argument by Habba, who insisted repeatedly that she went to great lengths to comply with the subpoena, even traveling to Florida to ask Trump specifically whether he had in his possession any documents that would be responsive to the demand.
“The contempt motion is inappropriate and misleading,” she said. “He complied. … There are no more documents left to produce by President Trump.”
She also derided the James probe as “political” and “truly a fishing expedition,” saying Trump and his companies had turned over more than 6 million documents and paperwork related to 103 Trump entities over an eight-year period.
“We’ve turned over everything as fast as possible,” Habba said. “This is a waste of judicial resources.”
Investigators for James have said in court filings that they uncovered evidence that Trump may have misstated the value of assets like golf courses and skyscrapers on his financial statements for more than a decade.
In a second ruling Monday, Engoron ordered real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield to comply with subpoenas related to James’ investigation.
The firm provided appraisals and brokerage services to Trump Organization properties for “many years,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement. The former president’s 40 Wall Street skyscraper and Westchester golf course are among the properties Cushman & Wakefield worked on, according to the statement.
“For the second time today, a judge has made clear that no one is above the law,” James said. “Cushman & Wakefield’s work for Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization is clearly relevant to our investigation, and we are pleased that has now been confirmed by the court. Our investigation will continue undeterred.”
A parallel criminal investigation is being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, also a Democrat.
