NY judge says Trump must meet conditions, pay $110K to lift order
A New York judge said Wednesday he will lift Donald Trump’s contempt of court order if the former president meets conditions including paying $110,000 in fines he’s racked up for being slow to respond to a civil subpoena issued by the state’s attorney general.
Judge Arthur Engoron said he will lift his finding of contempt if Trump submits additional paperwork by May 20 detailing efforts to search for the subpoenaed records and explaining his and his company’s document retention policies.
Engoron found Trump in contempt on April 25 and fined him $10,000 per day for not complying with New York Attorney General Letitia James’ subpoena, issued as part of a long-running investigation into Trump’s business practices.
James, a Democrat, has said her three-year investigation has uncovered evidence that the former president’s company misstated the value of assets like skyscrapers and golf courses on financial statements for over a decade.
Trump has denied the allegations, calling James’ investigation “racist” and a “witch hunt.” James is Black.
Trump’s lawyers contend James is using her civil investigation to gain access to information that could then be used against the Republican former president in a parallel criminal investigation being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, also a Democrat.
The legal battle between James and Trump was also playing out Wednesday before a midlevel state appeals court, which was hearing arguments in a related subpoena matter: Trump’s appeal of the judge’s Feb. 17 ruling requiring him to answer questions under oath in the investigation. Trump wants to avoid having to speak with the investigators.
In a statement Wednesday, James praised Engoron’s handling of the contempt allegation. “For years, Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization have tried to thwart our lawful investigation, but today’s decision makes clear that no one can evade accountability,” James said.
Engoron ordered Trump to pay $110,000 because that is the total amount of fines he accrued through May 6, when Trump’s lawyers submitted 66 pages of court documents detailing the efforts by him and his lawyers to locate the subpoenaed records.
Trump nod fails in Nebraska: Republican voters in Nebraska picked Jim Pillen as their nominee for governor, siding with the University of Nebraska regent backed by the state’s outgoing governor over a rival supported by former President Donald Trump and accused of groping multiple women.
Pillen, a hog farm owner and veterinarian, defeated eight challengers, including Charles Herbster, a businessman who faced groping allegations late in the campaign, and Brett Lindstrom, a state senator and Omaha financial adviser who was generally viewed as a more moderate choice.
While Trump-endorsed candidates won primary races in West Virginia for the U.S. House on Tuesday, the statewide loss in Nebraska was a setback for Trump. He has issued hundreds of endorsements and staged his signature campaign-style rallies in support of his preferred candidates, including Herbster, all in an effort to bend the GOP in his direction ahead of another possible presidential run in 2024.
Internet troll to face trial: A federal judge scheduled a trial next year for a far-right internet troll after the man, known to his social media followers as “Baked Alaska,” balked at pleading guilty on Wednesday to a criminal charge stemming from the U.S. Capitol riot.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan refused to accept a guilty plea by Anthime Gionet after he professed his innocence at the start of what was scheduled to be a plea agreement hearing. Instead, the judge set a March 2023 trial date for Gionet, who is charged with a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing inside a Capitol building.
“If he wants a trial, he’ll get a fair trial,” Sullivan said.
After privately conferring with Gionet’s lawyers, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloi said prosecutors would leave the plea offer open for 60 days. The judge scheduled a July 22 status hearing for the case.