NY AG Asks Judge to Hold Donald Trump in Contempt for Failing to Turn Over Documents – By Russ Choma (Mother Jones) / April 7, 2022
“Instead of obeying a court order, Mr. Trump is trying to evade it.”
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New York Attorney General Letitia James appears to be at the end of her rope with Donald Trump’s legal delay tactics, asking a judge on Thursday to hold the former president in civil contempt of court and fine him $10,000 a day for his failure to turn over documents in response to a subpoena. The judge in the case, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, has already ruled that Trump must turn over the documents, setting an original deadline of March 3. James’ office agreed to wait until March 31 after Trump requested more time, but in Thursday’s filing she said that deadline has come and gone without the Trump Organization producing anything but arguments about why it won’t comply.
James is pursuing a civil investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances and probing whether the former president may have committed bank, insurance, or tax fraud by improperly manipulating the value of various assets to receive more favorable treatment from lenders, insurance companies, and tax assessors. The investigation has been ongoing since at least 2019. The Trump Organization cooperated initially, but as the 2020 election approached, the company and members of Trump’s immediate family became increasingly combative. For the last year, James has been battling the Trumps to produce more documents and to force Trump, along with Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., to sit for depositions. James’ investigators have already deposed Eric Trump and several top Trump executives.
Last month, Engoron ruled that the Trumps must sit for the depositions, which will be conducted under oath, but allowed the family to appeal his ruling. The Trumps did not, however, appeal the part of his ruling involving turning over documents.
