Former President Donald Trump was found in contempt of court by a New York judge on Monday for failing to produce papers subpoenaed in the state attorney general’s civil investigation into his business practises. Trump was fined $10,000 per day until he complied.

Trump lost his appeal to have a subpoena issued by state Attorney General Letitia James overturned, and he subsequently failed to deliver all of the records by the March 3 date, which was then extended to March 31 at his lawyers’ request.

Because of what the judge called “repeated failures” to hand over records, and because it was unclear if Trump had undertaken a thorough search for responsive documents, Justice Arthur Engoron determined that a contempt judgement was appropriate.

Mr. Trump… I understand you take your business seriously, just as I do. “I hereby hold you in civil contempt,” the judge said, despite the fact that Trump was not there.

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James is looking into whether the Trump Organization, the former president’s New York City-based family business, lied about the worth of its real estate holdings in order to get better loans and tax breaks.
James said her investigation uncovered “strong evidence” that the company’s financial statements “relied on inaccurate asset appraisals and other misrepresentations to secure economic benefits” for more than a decade.

The attorney general has questioned the Trump Organization’s valuation of the Trump brand, as well as properties such as golf courses in New York and Scotland, and Trump’s personal penthouse apartment in Manhattan.

At the hearing, Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump and the firm, said James’ probe was a “fishing expedition” and that the Trump Organization was “exactly on schedule” with document production.

Habba stated, “This is a political crusade.” “The attorney general’s probe appears to have lost its focus.”

Trump, a Republican, has denied wrongdoing and labelled the inquiry politicised. James is a member of the Democratic Party.