Trump contempt may end soon, would have to pay $110K in fines

Just over two weeks after being put in contempt of New York court, former President Donald Trump may be out soon. On Wednesday, Judge Arthur Engoron said will lift his contempt of court order if the former president meets certain conditions. This includes paying $110,000 in fines and submitting additional paperwork.

The $110,000 figure is the accumulation of $10,000 fines assessed to Trump each day since he was held in contempt through last Friday. That was when Trump’s lawyers submitted 66 pages of court documents detailing the efforts by him and his lawyers to locate the subpoenaed records.

As for the requested paper work, Engoron is looking for more details on Trump’s efforts to search for subpoenaed records, as well as his company’s document retention policies. Trump was originally held in contempt for being slow to respond to a subpoena. That subpoena was related to a civil investigation into Trump’s business dealings led by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“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 in a Wednesday statement. “We will continue to enforce the law and seek answers as part of this investigation.”

James has said her investigators have uncovered evidence that Trump’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.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.