A judge in New York is holding former President Donald Trump in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena from N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James' office.
Trump will be fined $10,000 per day until he complies with the subpoena to turn over documents to the attorney general's office as part of its investigation into the former president's business dealings.
"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," New York Supreme Court judge Arthur Engoron said Monday.
"In a major victory, a court has ruled in our favor to hold Donald Trump in contempt of court," James wrote on Twitter after the ruling. "Donald Trump must pay $10,000 per day for every day that he continues to defy the court's order to turn over documents to my office."
James has been conducting a lengthy investigation into the Trump Organization, the former president’s family company, centering around what she has claimed is a pattern of misleading banks and tax authorities about the value of his properties.
"Today, justice prevailed," James added. "Our investigation into Donald Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings will continue undeterred because no one is above the law."
On Wednesday, an attorney for the former president filed a motion to appeal the ruling. In a statement responding to the appeal motion, James said "the judge's order was clear" and said that such a move was out of the former president's playbook.
"We've seen this playbook before, and it has never stopped our investigation of Mr. Trump and his organization," she wrote. "This time is no different."
Habba questioned the legal basis for holding Trump in contempt, arguing in court papers that he responded properly to the subpoena and that the attorney general’s office had failed to show his conduct “was calculated to defeat, impair, impede, or prejudice” the investigation and refused to engage in “good-faith discussions” before seeking to have him fined.
“All documents responsive to the subpoena were produced to the attorney general months ago,” Habba said in a statement after Engoron’s ruling.
Engoron said a contempt finding was appropriate because Trump and his lawyers hadn’t shown they had conducted a proper search for records sought by the subpoena.
The former president has previously railed against James' investigation, branding it a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
James has been conducting a lengthy investigation into the Trump Organization, the former president’s family company, centering around what she has claimed is a pattern of misleading banks and tax authorities about the value of his properties.
The contempt finding by the judge came despite a spirited argument by Habba, who insisted repeatedly that she went to great lengths to comply with the subpoena, even traveling to Florida to ask Trump specifically whether he had in his possession any documents that would be responsive to the demand.
Habba noted that Trump does not send emails or text messages and has no work computer “at home or anywhere else.” She described the search for documents as “diligent.”
Investigators for James have said in court filings that they uncovered evidence that Trump may have misstated the value of assets like golf courses and skyscrapers on his financial statements for more than a decade.
At the hearing, Assistant Attorney General Andrew Amer said the investigation was being hampered “because we don’t have evidence from the person at the top of this organization.”
And he said the failure to turn documents over in response to the subpoena was “effectively Mr. Trump thumbing his nose at this court’s order.”
A parallel criminal investigation is being conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.