News: Trump acquitted of contempt in New York attorney general’s fraud investigation

Trump acquitted of contempt in New York attorney general’s fraud investigation Former President Donald Trump was acquitted of contempt after he failed to produce documents required in an attorney general’s subpoena, a New York judge ruled.

Trump’s April 25 contempt verdict came after he contested a December subpoena seeking records of his personal finances and financing of various properties.

He had no material responding to the subpoena as filed claims, prompting lawsuits by the judge and the New York City Attorney’s Letitia. James for his attorneys to provide detailed explanations of how they conducted their search. Alina Habba, an attorney for Trump, said in a text message, “While we are pleased that the court overturned the contempt verdict, we maintain that, first and foremost, it was totally unwarranted and unreasonable.

We will continue our appeal to ensure justice for our client. By May 6, the former president was being fined $10,000 a day when his attorneys first offered explanations for his attempts to search for subpoenaed documents. The judge and attorney general have in the weeks since requested affidavits from two dozen employees and attorneys at the Trump Organization to find out how Donald Trump’s firm has apparently failed to keep records of his namesake’s personal finances for a decade.

A company that has few specific policies regarding the destruction and retention of documents related to Trump’s personal finances is described by nearly all employees having made affidavits, leaving such decisions to individuals or, in some cases, department heads. These statements largely mirrored what Trump said in his own affidavit. that “it was my standard practice to delegate responsibility for document handling and storage to my executive assistants.

The executive assistants who have submitted affidavits are not following any set policy, they say. Rhona Graff, a longtime assistant, said in a May 31 statement that she often leaves those decisions to other people. Heads of various departments said in affidavits filed June 17 that while they have internal policies on document retention, they have no specific policies for documents related to Trump himself.

In a June 8 letter to the court, Habba noted that “a large number” of documents showing Trump’s “handwritten notes” had been turned over by the Trump Organization. Habba’s letter included several photos of golfing legend Gary Player, which Trump had written “Great” on, as well as various design and legal documents, on which he wrote “OK.”There was also a note from his daughter in a planning document that referenced a Trump property in Doral, Fla.

An attorney for James’ office said in a June 21 filing that he supported the overturning of the contempt order not because he was happy with the decision. Statements he received, but “because it’s unclear what else [Trump] and his attorney may be instructed to do.”

Trump will be questioned about the company’s records during court-ordered testimony scheduled for mid-July, attorney Andrew Amer said. While Trump and two of his children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., recently lost two appeals attempting to block the statements.

“We expect [Trump] will be questioned under oath next month and will notify the court immediately if any new information about the defendant’s documents emerges from this testimony,” Amer wrote. He added that he was still deeply concerned by “the apparent lack of production of documents that Mr.Trump on his balance sheets.