New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a state judge Thursday to hold former President Donald Trump in contempt of court and impose a $10,000 fine for each day that he allegedly continues to withhold documents that were ordered to be turned over in the state’s probe of his company’s financial dealings.
“The judge’s order was crystal clear: Donald J. Trump must comply with our subpoena and turn over relevant documents to my office,” Ms. James said in a statement. “Instead of obeying a court order, Mr. Trump is trying to evade it. We are seeking the court’s immediate intervention because no one is above the law.”
Mr. Trump and two of his children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, were ordered in February to comply with a subpoena “seeking documents and information.” But in Thursday’s contempt motion, Ms. James stated that the Trump Organization “is not presently searching any of Mr. Trump’s custodial files or devices, and has no intention of doing so between now and April 15, 2022.”
The deadline was March 31.
Ms. James has been investigating the Trump Organization for years over potential civil fraud involving the company allegedly deflating its value for tax purposes while inflating it for loans. In February, Ms. James said she had evidence “showing that Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization used fraudulent and misleading financial statements to obtain economic benefit.”
Additionally, Ms. James said she has reason to believe Mr. Trump’s attorneys won’t comply “because his counsel (based on search efforts that have not been divulged) could not find any such documents.”
An attorney for Mr. Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Manhattan District Attorney has been conducting a separate criminal probe that has resulted in charges against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer but has been stalled since the resignation of its lead prosecutors.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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