Judge Holds Trump in Contempt Over Documents in New York A.G.’s InquiryA New York state judge on Monday held Donald J. Trump in contempt of court for failing to comply with a subpoena from the state attorney general’s office, an extraordinary rebuke of the former president that came as that office suggested it might soon file a long-threatened lawsuit against him.
The judge, Arthur F. Engoron, ordered Mr. Trump to fully respond to the subpoena from the attorney general, Letitia James — who sought records from the former president about his family business — and assessed a fine of $10,000 per day until he satisfied the court’s requirements.
“Mr. Trump: I know you take your business seriously, and I take mine seriously,” said Justice Engoron, before he held Mr. Trump in contempt and banged his gavel.
The contempt order amounted to a judicial condemnation of Mr. Trump’s signature tactic — stonewalling litigation and law enforcement investigations that he has derided as politically motivated, sometimes for years. That practice has helped him emerge from several inquiries largely unscathed, stymieing a legion of prosecutors, regulators and congressional investigators seeking to hold him to account.
But Ms. James has adopted her own aggressive legal strategy that undercut his long-effective approach, and she now appears poised to take the next step.
After more than three years, Ms. James’s office said on Monday that it was nearing the culmination of its inquiry. During the hearing, a lawyer for Ms. James indicated that her office was preparing to file an action against Mr. Trump in the near future. That action is likely to be a lawsuit................
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/25/nyregion/trump-investigation-letitia-james-contempt.html
