NEW YORK – A New York judge on Friday denied Donald Trump’s legal team’s motion to stay a civil contempt of court ruling against the former president and uphold a $10,000-per-day fine for his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the attorney general. of the state, which is investigating the business practices of the family business of the Republican tycoon.
Judge Arthur Engoron of the New York State Court in Manhattan said he was dissatisfied with an affidavit provided by Trump, saying there was no evidence the former president had conducted a thorough search of records requested by US Attorney Letitia James.
“To the best of my knowledge, (i) I do not have any of the documents requested in the summons dated December 1, 2021 in my personal possession; and (ii) if there are any documents responsive to the summons, I believe I would be in possession or custody of the Trump Organization,” Trump’s affidavit said. “At all relevant times, I have authorized, and continue to authorize, the release of a response document to the Office of the Attorney General.”
However, the judge refused to lift the sanctions. Additionally, Engoron criticized the lack of detail in Trump’s two-paragraph affidavit, saying he should have explained the methods he uses to store his records and the efforts he made to locate the subpoenaed files.
In separate affidavits, Trump’s attorneys, Alina Habba and Michael Madaio, detailed the steps they took to locate the documents in the Dec. 1 subpoena, including meeting with Trump in March at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and the review of previous searches in your company files.
James contends that his investigation has found evidence that the Trump Organization, which manages hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world, has provided banks and tax authorities with misleading financial information in order to obtain financial benefits such as favorable loans and tax exemptions. His Dec. 1 subpoena sought numerous documents, including communications related to his financial statements and various development projects.
The former president of the United States assured that he “bent” on the Mexican government to obtain free security on the border.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and says the investigation is politically motivated, something James, a Democrat, has denied.
Trump recently called James a “Democratic Party operative” and has said in written statements that her investigation and a parallel criminal investigation overseen by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg are “a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all.” the times”.
Andrew Amer, an attorney for the New York Attorney General’s Office, said in a court filing that while the affidavits “provide additional information” about Trump’s efforts to comply with the subpoena, more extensive searches were needed, including at Trump Tower. , their residences and electronic devices before the judge considers revoking the contempt sentence.
Trump’s legal team filed a notice of appeal Wednesday with the appellate division of the state trial court seeking to overturn Engoron’s contempt ruling. Trump also challenged the judge’s February 17 ruling requiring him to answer questions under oath. Oral arguments in that appeal are scheduled for May 11.
“Today’s events have made it overwhelmingly clear that this case no longer has anything to do with the proper application of legal principles governing disclosure of discovery,” Habba said after the ruling.
“The Court completely disregarded the detailed affidavits that demonstrate the meticulous efforts made to carry out this search. This Court has wrongfully held my client in contempt for a violation he did not commit solely because the Attorney General’s Office found it ‘insufficient’ without any basis. The tactics employed by this Court, the statements addressed to our client from the witness stand, and the direct comments to the press have reduced this hearing to a public spectacle, and to the misapplication of the law and the facts by the court.”
James asked Judge Engoron to hold Trump in contempt after he failed to file any documents by the court’s March 31 deadline. In his ruling, the magistrate said that Trump and his lawyers not only failed to meet the deadline, but also failed to document the steps they had taken to search for the documents, as required by case law.
Trump is suing James in federal court in an effort to stop his investigation. Oral arguments in that matter are scheduled for May 13.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said this month that the three-year criminal investigation he inherited in January from his predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., continues “without fear or favour” despite a recent shakeup in the leadership of the investigation.
Trump’s defense contends that James is using his civil investigation to gain access to information that could later be used against him in the criminal investigation.
So far, the district attorney’s investigation has only resulted in tax fraud charges against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, in connection with lucrative fringe benefits.
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