Judge Arthur Engoren said Trump had not complied with his order to comply with the subpoena and that his lawyers had failed to show how a search of Trump’s materials was conducted. Engron said Trump would be fined $ 10,000 a day until he complied.
“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 until you clear that contempt, “Engoron said at a hearing Monday. A written decision with a starting date for fines is expected on Tuesday.
Trump plans to appeal the decision, his lawyer, Alina Haba, told reporters.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision today,” Haba said. “All the documents, as I explained, in response to the summons, had already been presented to the chief prosecutor months ago.”
The New York Attorney General’s Office Leticia James has been investigating the Trump Organization for more than two years and has previously said its office found a number of misleading or deceptive inaccuracies and omissions in the Trump Organization’s financial statements provided to creditors and insurers. others as part of his investigation.
Andrew Amer of the Attorney General’s Office said Trump had failed to present “even a single responsible document” for a summons issued to him in December.
“We are hindering our efforts to achieve full understanding because we have no evidence from the person at the top of the organization,” Amer said.
Kevin Wallace of the Attorney General’s Office said it was in some cases “like extracting teeth” to get the documents needed for the investigation, and described the Trump Organization as a close-knit family company with 500 legal entities and millions of dollars. move.
In court, Haba said the former president did not believe he was above the law, but simply did not have the types of written communications sought by the summons, but that he had presented hundreds of thousands of documents through his aides. Haba said she herself searched the Trump calendars on paper and the locations of the physical files and even interviewed her client in Florida.
“President Trump does not send emails. It does not send text messages. And there is no work computer at home or anywhere else, “Haba said.
“I made a commitment to get on the plane and flew down and asked him one by one if he had anything he had with him that he hadn’t given me, I would need it. And he doesn’t, “she said.
The judge asked why Trump did not sign an affidavit swearing that he had complied with the summons. Haba said he would.
“My client is an honest man, to the horror of some people in this room,” Haba said.
James’ office said in court documents that the Trump Organization has been investigated for fraudulent or misleading conduct in connection with valuations and financial statements. The office has called on both the former president and his company for documents related to the investigation.
Haba says the Attorney General’s investigation “seems to have become pointless”, saying that since it began three years ago, Trump’s organization has received six separate subpoenas, presented more than 6 million pages of documents and removed 13 Trump Organization witnesses. , among other things.
“The scope is constantly changing to meet the needs of the chief prosecutor,” Haba told the court. “When he is not happy with the evidence he has received, he turns around and looks for something new.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
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