Arthur Engoron, a New York Supreme Court judge, stated that “Mr. Trump I know you take business seriously and I take mine seriously. I hereby hold and civil contempt you and fine you $10,000 per day.” Tomorrow, the judge will file a written order.
Alina Habba, Trump’s attorney, stated after the hearing that they intend to appeal.
“We respectfully disagree today with the court’s decision.” Habba stated that all documents responsive to the subpoena were already provided to the attorney general a month ago.
After Trump failed to comply with a March 31 court order to turn over subpoenaed materials , James’ office requested the contempt finding. He claimed he didn’t have any documents required in the civil probe.
Andrew Amer, an attorney representing James, stated in court Monday that the March 31 deadline passed and that we received no documents. Amer asked Amer later, “Is Mr. Trump pointing his nose at the court’s order?”
Alina Habba, Trump’s attorney, said that she personally managed the search for documents and even flew to Florida to interview Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
“There is nothing more he can do. It was already done. Your honor, what is the point of President Trump’s contempt? Habba asked.
Engoron believed that this explanation raised more questions about Trump’s response to the subpoena. Habba was asked why she hadn’t previously documented the Mar-a-Lago interview.
“I feel like there is an 800-pound gorilla in this room. Why don’t you have an affidavit? Engoron later asked and replied, “There’s a difference between saying something or saying something under oath.”
According to a Friday filing by James’ office, investigators are seeking information from Trump’s three mobile phones. Two of the devices are personal while one is company-issued. Amer stated Monday that they have not received any data from the devices.
They also want documents from certain Trump Organization file storage locations such as “the cabinets outside Mr. Trump’s office,” the storage room by Mr. Trump’s office,” and “the Executive Office storage cupboard.”
Engoron claimed that Trump’s lawyers failed to explain the search they made and how it was done.
Let’s suppose you say that you searched his files. Engoron stated that I must have an affidavit stating that he searched his files outside of his office.
Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump were ordered to appear for depositions on February 17. They appealed the decision to appear and are currently awaiting a response. Trump did not contest a separate portion of the February 17 ruling, in which he was required to comply with James’ subpoena.
According to court documents, Engoron had ordered Trump to comply by March 3. He later extended the deadline to March 31. This date was mutually agreed upon by both parties at that time.
James’ office stated in a February press release, that it had collected evidence that “Donald J. Trump and his Organization used fraudulent financial statements to gain economic benefit.” The probe began with the question of whether Trump Organization inflated the value of assets to obtain loans or insurance coverage. It then deflated the value of these assets to reduce tax liability.
Trump and his company repeatedly deny any allegations of wrongdoing. Habba repeated that Monday, calling it “a political crusade.”
The tolling agreement between the Trump Organization and the attorney general’s offices is nearing its end. This temporarily suspends certain statutes of limitations while document production takes place. A lawyer for the attorney general indicated that if the deadline is not met, it could lead to civil enforcement against the company.
Kevin Wallace, the attorney general’s representative, stated that “we will likely have to bring some kind of enforcement action soon to preserve our rights.”
The investigation that led to criminal charges against Trump Organization and its CFO on July 1, 2021 appears to have stalled.
Carey Dunne, and Mark Pomerantz were the two leading prosecutors who resigned in February. This was less than two months after Alvin Bragg, newly elected Manhattan DA, took office. He succeeded Cyrus Vance Jr. who began the investigation in August 2018. The resignation letter of Pomerantz, published in The New York Times, stated that Vance had “concluded the facts warranted prosecution”, but that Bragg had “reached a decision… to not pursue criminal charges at this time.”
Bragg stated in an April 7th statement that the criminal investigation is “continuing”, and that his investigators are and prosecutors “exploring evidence never before explored.”
