Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that the contempt order was appropriate because of what the judge called “repeated failures” to turn over materials and it was not clear that Trump conducted a full search for the relevant documents.
“Mr. Trump … I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously. Therefore, I am holding you in civil contempt,” the judge said, though Trump himself was not in the room. .
James is investigating whether the Trump Organization, the New York-based family business of the former president, misrepresented property values to obtain favorable loans and tax deductions.
James has said his investigation has found “significant evidence” suggesting that for more than a decade the company’s financial statements “relied on misleading asset valuations and other misrepresentations for financial gain”.
The attorney general has questioned how the Trump Organization valued the Trump brand, as well as properties including golf clubs in New York and Scotland and Trump’s own penthouse in midtown Manhattan’s Trump Tower.
Alina Habba, an attorney for Trump and the company, said at the hearing that the James investigation was a “fishing expedition” and that the Trump Organization was “up to date” with his filing.
“This is a political crusade,” said Habba. “The attorney general’s investigation appears to be aimless.”
Trump, a Republican, denies doing anything wrong and has maintained the investigation is politically motivated. James is a Democrat. (Reporting by Luc Cohen and Karen Freifeld Edited in Spanish by Javier López de Lérida)
Source: Ambito
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