A New York Judge held former President Donald Trump in civil contempt after the state’s attorney general’s office said he failed to comply with a subpoena for documents as part of its investigation into the former commander in chief.
CNN reports Judge Arthur Engoron said Trump failed to comply with the subpoena order and that his attorneys failed to show that a search of materials held by Trump was conducted. The judge will fine Trump $10,000 per day until he complies.
“Mr. Trump, I know you take your business seriously and I take mine seriously. I hereby hold you in civil contempt and fine you $10,000 per day until you purge that contempt,” Engoron said at a hearing Monday, according to CNN.
Trump plans to appeal the decision, according to his lawyer Alina Habba, who added they disagree with the decision.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision today,” Habba said, according to multiple media reports. “All documents, as I explained, responsive to the subpoena were already produced to the attorney general months ago.”
Habba argued she went through great lengths to comply with the subpoena, even traveling to Florida to ask Trump specifically whether he had documents in his possession that would comply with James’ demand.
Judge Engoron was unconvinced, telling Habba, “You can’t just stand here and say I searched this and that.”
The judge also asked Habba why the response didn’t include an affidavit from Trump; she noted the former president does not send emails or text messages and has no work computer “at home or anywhere else.”
James, who has been investigating the former president for more than two years, asked the court to hold the businessman in contempt after he missed a court-imposed March 31 deadline.
“Today, justice prevailed,” Attorney General James said in a statement following the ruling. “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 has called James’ investigation a “witch hunt.”