Former President Donald Trump denounced New York’s attorney general after the rejection of his second request to halt daily fines, now up to $80,000, for not turning over subpoenaed records.
A Manhattan judge rejected Trump’s interim application seeking to do away with the $10,000-a-day fine that was imposed on him after the former president was found in civil contempt of court and ordered to pay up for failing to comply with the subpoena request from New York Attorney General Letitia James as part of her investigation into his business practices. Trump sought to halt the daily penalties while he appeals the contempt ruling, arguing he does not possess the documents in question.
“After handing over millions of pages of documents, perhaps more than any person or entity has ever given before, there is nothing that can be done to satisfy the racist Attorney General of New York State, failed Gubernatorial candidate Letitia James, or the New York State Courts which are biased, unyielding, and totally unfair,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday night after the decision was announced. “With rampant and record setting crime, a 42.8% increase over last year was just announced, and every other unimaginable problem, no wonder everyone is leaving the State, including businesses left and right.”
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A full appellate court will take up his request at a later date, according to Judge Tanya Kennedy, who rejected his request on Tuesday. Until that time, Trump is ordered to pay the daily fines.
In a prior bid, Trump requested that the contempt of court ruling against him be lifted last week, signing a sworn affidavit that he does not have the personal documents James is requesting. However, New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ruled on Friday that this argument was insufficient due to a lack of details.
The former president was held in contempt of court on April 25 after James filed a motion requesting the ruling over his failure to turn over subpoenaed documents by March 31 in compliance with a subpoena. Trump had "agreed to this timeline and never sought to challenge this aspect of the order on appeal," according to James. However, when the deadline arrived, his lawyers brought forth fresh objections and did not turn over the documents, she said.
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However, the president maintains he does not possess the documents in question.
“This is a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in history, and it should not be allowed to continue,” he said. “It is a politically driven Scam the likes of which has never been seen before. If I wasn’t leading in every poll by substantial numbers, this persecution would have long ago ended. The good news is, I have done nothing wrong!”