Trump appeals civil contempt order and $10,000 daily fine
Former President Donald Trump speaks during his rally in Selma
By Kara Scannell, CNN
Former President Donald Trump has appealed a judge’s civil contempt order imposing a $10,000 daily fine for failing to comply with a subpoena from the New York attorney general for records tied to an investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances.
Trump’s fine went into effect on Tuesday after Judge Arthur Engoron issued a written order affirming a contempt finding he made earlier this week.
Since Trump is appealing the ruling, he may not have to make payments on the fine until it is resolved.
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office has been probing the Trump Organization and whether it defrauded borrowers, lenders and tax authorities who relied upon the company’s financial statements.
The office asked Engoron to hold Trump in contempt for failing to comply with a December subpoena. Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, said that they had searched and found no documents to provide investigators other than the 10 previously turned over by the Trump Organization.
The judge said on Tuesday that the lawyer provided a “boilerplate” response in a sworn affidavit and failed to address whether Trump’s team had searched file cabinets, calendars and other records.
In the written order Tuesday, Engoron wrote that Trump “willfully disobeyed” his prior order to comply with the subpoena for documents, and said that the former President’s failure to comply harmed the civil investigation being conducted by James.
The attorney general’s office criticized the appeal.
“The judge’s order was clear: Donald J. Trump is in contempt of court and must pay $10,000 a day until he complies with our subpoenas,” James said in a statement. “We’ve seen this playbook before, and it has never stopped our investigation of Mr. Trump and his organization. This time is no different.”
This story has been updated with additional details Wednesday.
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CNN’s Devan Cole contributed to this report.
