Former President Donald Trump appealed a New York state judge's $10,000 per day fine for alleged contempt for failing to comply with Attorney General Letitia James' subpoena for Trump Organization records, CNN reported Wednesday.
Trump attorney Alina Habba told Judge Arthur Engoron they found no records to turn over, despite the subpoena. Amid appeal, Trump might not have to pay the fine until a ruling is delivered, according to the report.
Trump previously lost a bid to strike the subpoena and did not produce documents by a court-ordered March 3 deadline, which was later extended to March 31 at his attorney's request.
James' office has been probing the Trump Organization and if it defrauded borrowers, lenders, and tax authorities who relied on the company's financial statements.
The attorney general asked Engoron to hold Trump in contempt for failing to comply with a December subpoena.
The civil investigation of the Trump Organization began three years ago, while Trump was still president, and after James had run a Democrat campaign for attorney general that vowed to go after the Republican president.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and has called the probe politically motivated.
In his written ruling, Engoron said Trump had not refuted James' assertions that he failed to search several file cabinets for relevant documents. He said there was not enough evidence Trump had conducted a thorough search.
In the past, James has said the investigation has found "significant evidence" that the Trump Organization included misleading asset valuations in more than a decade of its financial statements.
James has questioned how the company valued the Trump brand, as well as golf clubs in New York and Scotland and Trump's penthouse apartment in Midtown Manhattan's Trump Tower. In some cases, the assets were overvalued to obtain favorable loan terms. In other cases they were undervalued to win tax benefits, James has said.
Amid struggles by President Joe Biden and Democrats heading into the November 2022 midterm elections, there are fears by Trump's political opponents that Republicans will regain congressional majorities, Trump will declare a run for president in the 2024 presidential election, and restore the GOP to power in Congress and the White House.
Recent polling has Trump beating Biden in a hypothetical 2024 presidential general election.
"At this moment together, we're standing up against some of the most menacing forces, entrenched interests, and vicious opponents our people have ever seen or fought against," Trump told his Save America rally in Delaware, Ohio, which aired live Saturday night on Newsmax. "Despite great outside powers and dangers, our biggest threat remains the sick, sinister, and evil people from within our own country.
"There is no threat as dangerous to democracy as they are. Just look at the un-select committee of political hacks and what they're doing to our country while radical-left murderers, rapists, and insurrectionists roam free: Nothing happens to them.
"But no matter how big or powerful these corrupt radicals may be, you must never forget this nation does not belong to them. This nation belongs to you. This is your home. This is your heritage, and your great American liberty is your God-given right."
Trump added: "The very same people who piously claimed to be defending democracy are the ones throwing open your borders, surrendering your sovereignty, defunding your police, prosecuting your politicians — like nobody's ever seen before, by the way."
via newsmax