Trump held in contempt of court for failing to hand over documents

WASHINGTON (AA) – A New York state judge has held former US President Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to hand over documents as part of an ongoing state investigation, state Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday.

Trump must either comply with an earlier court order mandating that he turn over the documents, or face a penalty of $10,000 per day for each day that he does not comply with an earlier court order mandating he turn over the documents to James’ office.

“Today, justice prevailed,” James said in a statement. “For years, Donald Trump has tried to evade the law and stop our lawful investigation into him and his company’s financial dealings. Today’s ruling makes clear: No one is above the law”.

Trump and his two eldest children — Donald Trump, Jr. and Ivanka Trump — were subpoenaed by James’s office in January as part of the state’s probe into the Trump organization’s business practices.

James’ years-long civil investigation into the Trump organization centers on how it has valued its assets, and whether it misled tax officials and banks about their worth.

At issue is whether the organization ramped up its property valuations when dealing with banks to receive more favorable loans, and minimized their worth when reporting to tax officials.

James on April 7 filed a motion to hold Trump in contempt, and sought the $10,000 per day fine granted by New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron.

The judge in February rejected Trump’s legal challenge to James’s subpoena, and gave him until March 31 to produce the documents. ​​​​​​​