Shawna Chen
A New York judge has denied a request from former President Trump’s lawyers to reverse a $10,000-per-day contempt fine against Trump.
Why it matters: Judge Arthur Engoron issued the fine after he found Trump in contempt over his failure to comply with a subpoena that was issued as part of a state investigation into the Trump Organization’s business practices. Trump is appealing the contempt finding.
Details: Trump’s legal team had submitted affidavits asking Engoron to lift the sanctions, claiming he didn’t have the subpoenaed documents, but Engoron refused to budge.
- The judge said Trump’s two-sentence affidavit did not provide adequate evidence that Trump had thoroughly searched for the records and thus did not merit a purge of the contempt finding, CNBC reports.
- Trump’s lawyers had also submitted affidavits stating they concluded that Trump did not possess the documents requested after a comprehensive search.
What they’re saying: “I am surprised he doesn’t seem to have any documents; they’re all with the organization,” Engoron said Friday in a state court, per Reuters.
- “I will consider your request to terminate the fine,” he told Trump lawyer Alina Habba. “But if you don’t hear from me, the clock is still ticking.”
- Engoron ruled earlier this week that the $10,000-per-day fine must start on Tuesday, April 26.
- The Trump Organization did not immediately return a request for comment.
The big picture: New York Attorney General Letitia James previously said her office found “significant evidence” that the Trump Organization “used fraudulent and misleading asset valuations to obtain economic benefits.”
Source: axios.com