New York Asks State Judge To Hold Trump in Contempt — at $10,000 a Day
‘The judge’s order was crystal clear: Donald J. Trump must comply with our subpoena and turn over relevant documents to my office,’ Attorney General James said in a statement Thursday.
New York state’s attorney general, Letitia James, filed today a motion to hold President Trump in civil contempt of court for refusing to turn over documents relating to her investigation into the former president’s financial dealings.
The legal maneuver stands as a reminder that even though Mr. Trump has apparently avoided a criminal indictment by the New York district attorney, Alvin Bragg, he still faces substantial legal troubles in his former home state.
Ms. James is seeking to fine Mr. Trump $10,000 for each day that he fails to comply with a subpoena for the documents. Mr. Trump was required by a state court to provide them by March 31.
“Rather than ‘comply in full,’ with the Court’s unambiguous directive by producing all responsive documents by March 31,” the motion, filed today in the supreme court at New York, notes, “Mr. Trump did not comply at all.”
“This Court’s order was not an opening bid for a negotiation or an invitation for a new round of challenges to the subpoena,” the motion adds.
“The judge’s order was crystal clear: Donald J. Trump must comply with our subpoena and turn over relevant documents to my office,” Attorney General James said in a statement Thursday.
“Instead of obeying a court order, Mr. Trump is trying to evade it. We are seeking the court’s immediate intervention because no one is above the law,” Ms. James added.
This filing is only the latest in a months-long legal battle between the attorney general and the president over a civil investigation into some of Mr. Trump’s properties in New York.
Ms. James is seeking documentation from the president relating to her allegation that his businesses engaged in “fraudulent and misleading” valuations of properties, supposedly for the purposes of acquiring loans and tax benefits.
The initial deadline for Mr. Trump to comply with the subpoena was March 3; however, the ex-president was granted an extension by the court. Mr. Trump has denied the allegations and accused Ms. James of pursuing the charges for political reasons.
“Her mission is guided solely by political animus and a desire to harass, intimidate, and retaliate against a private citizen who she views as a political opponent,” a lawsuit filed by Mr. Trump to stop the investigation claimed.
Ms. James has used antagonistic rhetoric for years in regard to Mr. Trump and his organization, including shortly after her electoral victory in 2018. “We’re going to be a real pain,” Ms. James said about Mr. Trump then. “He’s going to know my name personally.”
The court in New York, however, has agreed with the attorney general that there is cause for investigation and ordered Mr. Trump to comply with her requests in February. While nothing has been proven in court, perhaps in part due to a lack of documentation, questions have arisen over whether Mr. Trump misreported property values.
Mr. Trump’s accounting agency, Mazars USA LLP, which had prepared financial documents for Mr. Trump and his family business, indicated that those documents may not have been accurate.
“While we have not concluded that the various financial statements, as a whole, contain material discrepancies, based upon the totality of the circumstances, we believe our advice to you to no longer rely upon those financial statements is appropriate,” the Mazars USA general counsel, William J. Kelly, wrote to the Trump Organization.
Mr. Trump’s organization has denied this, saying that “such statements of financial condition do not contain any material discrepancies.”