For failing to effectively answer to a subpoena issued by the state's attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business operations, a New York judge convicted former President Donald Trump in contempt of court and ordered $10,000 daily fines on Monday.
Because Trump and his lawyers failed to show they had undertaken a proper search for the records sought by the subpoena, Judge Arthur Engoron found them in contempt.
"I know you take your business seriously, and I know you take mine seriously," Engoron said in a Manhattan courtroom crowded with reporters but devoid of Trump. "Until the provisions of the subpoena are honored, I now hold you in civil contempt and punish you $10,000 each day."
After Trump violated a court-imposed deadline to turn over papers on March 31, New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, sought the court to punish him in contempt.
Trump, a Republican, has been battling James in court over her probe, which he has termed a "witch hunt" because it is politically motivated. "Donald Trump does not believe he is above the law," Trump attorney Alina Habba said during Monday's oral arguments.
The verdict will be appealed, Habba stated in a statement.
"We respectfully disagree with the ruling of the court. She stated, "All responsive papers to the subpoena were delivered to the attorney general months ago."
James has been looking into the Trump Organization, the former president's family business, for a long time, focusing on what she claims is a pattern of lying to banks and tax authorities about the value of his properties.
"Today, justice triumphed," James said in a statement following Engoron's decision. "For years, Donald Trump has attempted to circumvent the law in order to obstruct our legal inquiry into his and his company's financial affairs. No one is above the law, as today's verdict demonstrates."
Despite Habba's vehement defense, the judge found her in contempt, despite the fact that she went to considerable pains to comply with the subpoena, even traveling to Florida to ask Trump explicitly if he had any records that might be responsive to the demand.
The judge, on the other hand, chastised the Trump team's formal response to the subpoena for its lack of explanation, telling Habba: "You can't just stand here and say I searched this and that."
And
She called the contempt motion "inappropriate and deceptive." "He complied.... There are no more documents for President Trump to produce."
She also called the James investigation a "political crusade" and "really a fishing expedition," claiming that over an eight-year period, Trump and his enterprises turned up more than 6 million papers and documentation pertaining to 103 Trump entities.
"Everything has been turned over as quickly as possible." This is a waste of judicial resources, according to Habba.
"My client is an honest person, to to the dismay of many people in this room," she added, defending Trump's reputation.
A request for response from Trump's representatives was not immediately returned.
In court filings, James' investigators claim to have discovered evidence that Trump is involved.
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