A judge ruled that former President Donald J. Trump will be held in contempt on Monday after failing to comply to a subpoena issued by New York Attorney General Letitia James, D-N. Y.
The evidence provided by Trump's attorney was woefully insufficient, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arther Engoron, who ruled in favor of James. Trump, a net worth of $3 billion, will be fined $10,000 for every day he violated the court's order to produce these documents. There have been no criminal charges against Trump himself.
Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, said she intends to appeal the ruling, claiming that all relevant material was handed over months ago and the only issue raised by the attorney general at the hearing was an affidavit that copied the form mandated by James.
This does not even come close to meeting the standard on a motion for contempt, Habba responded, saying that Donald Trump does not believe he is above the law. Habba called the civil case a political crusade. The investigation has been ongoing for over two years after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified before Congress that his former client lies about the value of certain assets, inflating or deflating their value for tax benefits, loans, or insurance coverage.
For a long time, Trump, 75, has complained that James' investigation into the Trump OrganizationTrump Organization was a witch hunt because she is a Democrat.
Donald Trump tried to evade the law and stop the investigation into him and his company's financial dealings. James, 63, said in a press release that no one is above the law.
Trump and his legal team have used different methods to delay the civil case in New York State, said AG James. The case is close to closing in on Trump and will depend on the results of the inevitable appeal from his legal team.