In a motion filed Thursday, the attorney general’s office said Trump “did not comply” at all with the summons for documents and that his lawyers told him he would not provide “any” documents in response to the summons because his lawyers believe that if the documents are available, the Trump Administration will have them and the Attorney General’s Office “will just have to wait until the Trump Administration completes its production to get them.”
According to new statements, her office had agreed to extend a deadline of early March for the documents until March 31. But instead of submitting the documents that day, Trump filed 16 objections to the summons.
Trump’s lawyers also presented to the attorney general’s office an affidavit from Trump’s attorney claiming that the former president could not locate the documents and, as far as the documents were concerned, he was being held by the Trump Organization, which faces a separate deadline. summons.
James argued on Thursday that Trump’s lawyers’ response was tantamount to “more delay and obscurity,” saying his objections came too late. She said Trump was “very likely to have in his possession, hold or control of many documents” related to her investigation and that he had failed to adequately clarify his efforts to seek the summoned documents.
“Mr. Trump should now be punished with civil contempt and fined enough to comply with the Court’s mandate and compensate the OAG for the fees and costs associated with this proposal,” he said. the testimony.
James is asking the court to fine him $ 10,000 a day or any other amount the court deems “sufficient to comply with the February 2022 Judgment,” as well as reimbursement of general expenses and fees. prosecutors when submitting the motion.
CNN contacted Trump’s lawyers for comment.
James previously said her office had identified multiple misleading or fraudulent inaccuracies and omissions in Trump’s financial statements provided to lenders and insurers, among others, as part of its investigation.
In addition to the political investigation launched by James, the Trump Organization is also facing a criminal investigation led by the Manhattan Attorney General. Public unrest has gripped prosecutor Alvin Bragg Jr.’s investigation, which he inherited from his predecessor, Cyrus Vance, following the departure of two senior prosecutors.
Bragg told CNN in an interview Thursday that his office investigation is “very ongoing” and that prosecutors are looking into new evidence.
This story has been updated with additional details.
