Former US President Donald Trump Found In Contempt Of Court
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Former president Donald Trump has been fined $10,000 a day after a US judge found him in contempt of court.
Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump had failed to comply with a subpoena for documents requested for an investigation by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump had been given a deadline of 31 March to hand over the documents as part of the long-running civil investigation, which is looking into the finances of his company, the Trump Organization.
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During a hearing that lasted more than two hours in a Manhattan Supreme Court, Andrew Amer, an attorney for James's office, said: "The March 31 deadline came and went and we received zero documents. Is Mr. Trump thumbing his nose at this court's order?"
Meanwhile, Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, claimed she personally oversaw the search for documents and that Trump simply did not have the documents that were being requested.
Having allegedly flown to Florida to interview Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club, Habba said: "There is simply nothing more for him to provide. It was already provided. So your honor, how is President Trump in contempt?"
Engoron announced his decision following the hearing, citing Trump's 'repeated failures' to provide the documents requested by James. Though the former president was not in the courtroom, the judge said: "Mr. Trump … I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously. I hereby hold you in civil contempt."
#BREAKING: In a major victory, a court has ruled in our favor to hold Donald Trump in contempt of court.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) April 25, 2022
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. https://t.co/AFAPPrnce4
The decision comes after James asked that Trump be fined and held in contempt in a request made on 7 April, saying in a statement that Trump was 'trying to evade' the law.
At the time, she continued: "We are seeking the court's immediate intervention because no one is above the law."
James took to Twitter to acknowledge and celebrate Engoron's decision today, writing: "In a major victory, a court has ruled in our favor to hold Donald Trump in contempt of court. 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.
"Today, justice prevailed. Our investigation into Donald Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings will continue undeterred because no one is above the law," she added.
The judge's written order is set to be filed tomorrow (26 April), though Trump's attorney has said they plan to appeal the decision. Trump and the Trump Organization have repeatedly denied the allegations of wrongdoing.
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