Trump held in contempt of court and fined $10,000 per day

Donald Trump
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A New York judge ruled Monday to hold former President Donald Trump in contempt of court and fine him $10,000 per day for failing to comply with subpoenas ordering him to hand over records by March 31, Bloomberg reports.

The subpoenas were issued in connection with New York Attorney General Letitia James' probe into whether Trump broke the law by overstating the value of his assets in order to obtain "more favorable terms for bank loans," per Bloomberg.

Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, claimed her client is "an honest person" and has already handed over all the required records. If that is the case, Judge Arthur Engoron asked Habba, "[w]hy don't we have an affidavit from him" affirming under oath that all the subpoenaed documents have indeed been delivered?

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According to Bloomberg, New York is likely to bring an enforcement action against Trump, but the "AG's attorney didn't give any details about what kind of enforcement action the state might bring or when it might be filed."

In February, Engoron ordered Trump to be deposed as part of James' investigation, but Trump appealed the ruling, "a move that will probably delay the battle over his testimony by months," The Guardian reported last month.

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Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.