Former President Donald Trump announced he is appealing a recent ruling that found him in contempt of court and fined him $10,000 per day.
A previous Resist The Mainstream report noted that Trump is in contempt for not complying with a subpoena and March 31 deadline to provide requested documents pertaining to an investigation into his business dealings.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is spearheading the suit against Trump.
Trump’s attorney Alina Habba argued that James’ attacks on Trump were discriminatory and politically motivated.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, appearing to show some bias in his ruling, called the argument “as audacious as it is preposterous.”
Engoron added, “If Ms. James has a thing against him, OK, that’s not in my understanding [of] unlawful discrimination. He’s {Trump’s] just a bad guy she should go after as the chief law enforcement officer of the state.”
James agreed with Engoron, saying, “Today, justice prevailed.”
On Monday, Judge Engoron noted that Trump’s declaration that he was not in possession of the requested documentation was not a sufficient explanation for not complying with the subpoena.
Engoron wrote: “In short, the affidavit provided the court with no basis to find that the search had been a thorough one or that it had been conducted in a good faith effort to provide these necessary records to the plaintiff.”
Engoron continued:
“Not only did Mr. Trump fail to submit an affidavit himself, which this court believes would have been the best practice, as he is the most obvious person to affirm where any responsive documents in his possession, custody, and control would be located, but the attorney affirmation submitted on behalf of Mr. Trump contained only conclusory statements, rather than details of a diligent search.”
Responding to an email request by The Epoch Times, Habba, one of Trump’s attorneys, wrote:
“All documents responsive to the subpoena were produced to the attorney general months ago. The only issue raised by the attorney general at today’s hearing was with an affidavit submitted which copied the form mandated by the attorney general.”
Habba added: “This does not even come close to meeting the standard on a motion for contempt and, thus, we intend to appeal.”
Trump’s lawyers have since filed the appeal in New York Supreme Court, noting they are raising four issues to the appellate division of the court, including challenging the fine, which, Trump’s attorneys argue, does not serve “any purpose as either a compensatory or coercive remedy.”
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