Former President Donald Trump released from contempt order in New York civil probe

On Wednesday, New York state court judge Justice Arthur Engoron formally released former President Donald Trump from an order which found him to be in contempt of court.

The order relates to a subpoena issued by Attorney General Letitia James, alleging that Trump’s recent tax submissions differed to his personal records.

The subpoena against Trump was originally issued in December 2021. James then said in January 2022 that she had uncovered “significant” new evidence that The Trump Organization had exaggerated the value of some of their assets. The court held Trump in contempt after he refused to comply with the subpoena.

Trump has consistently maintained that James’s near 3-year investigation is a political witch hunt.

Trump was originally found in contempt on April 25th, 2022 and was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 per day until such a time that he complied. Trump’s fine rose to $110,000 before Judge Engoron capped it at that amount to give Trump further time to comply. CNN reports that Trump paid the $110,000 fine in May.

Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba made a public statement and praised the decision. “Although we are pleased that the court has lifted the contempt finding, we maintain that it was wholly unwarranted and improper in the first place,” Habba said. “We will push ahead with our appeal to secure justice for our client.”

Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr, and his daughter Ivanka Trump are likely to testify under oath on July 15th after 2 state judges blocked their depositions.