(Fwrd Axis) — A New York state judge on Monday ruled former President Donald Trump is in contempt of court and ordered him to pay $10,000 per day unless he turns over documents that have been subpoenaed by the state attorney general’s office.
Attorney General Letitia James said she hopes the fine will force Trump to turn over the documents that are needed by investigators for their civil probe into the Trump Organization’s business practices.
“Today, justice prevailed. Our investigation into Donald Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings will continue undeterred because no one is above the law,” James wrote in a tweet.
#BREAKING: In a major victory, a court has ruled in our favor to hold Donald Trump in contempt of court.
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. https://t.co/AFAPPrnce4
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) April 25, 2022
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision and intend to appeal,” Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said in a statement. “All documents responsive to the subpoena were produced to the attorney general months ago.”
Trump has repeatedly tried to put roadblocks to the long-running investigation into whether he and his company manipulated financial statements. James said her team has “uncovered substantial evidence establishing numerous misrepresentations in Mr. Trump’s financial statements provided to banks, insurers, and the Internal Revenue Service.”
Trump has called the investigation “a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt of all time” and denied any wrongdoing.
The Trump Organization says they have given over 750,000 documents to the attorney general but James says the company has been slow to turn over documents involving Trump.
Habba said Trump has not turned over documents because he just doesn’t have them.
“Trump was not in possession of any documents responsive to the subpoena and that all potentially responsive documents were in the possession, custody, or control of the Trump Organization,” she said.
Trump sued James and the Manhattan district attorney’s office late last year, accusing her of being politically motivated and designed to provide fuel for the district attorney’s criminal investigation. James has denied the accusation.
