What Did A Judge Just Order Top Leadership In The Trump Organization To Do?
Former President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization may be "going through some things" after a judge's order to company executives. Trump and his posse seem to play by a different set of rules and haven't gotten in real trouble for it. One example of how Trump plays by different rules surrounds his taxes. In September 2020, The New York Times reported that the former leader and self-proclaimed billionaire only paid $750 in taxes in 2016 and 2017. Even worse, according to the outlet, Trump "paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years — largely because he reported losing much more money than he made." The fact that Trump paid nothing or almost nothing in taxes is not uncommon among America's super-wealthy; in 2021, the IRS pretty much admitted that the agency doesn't go after the super-rich, per Newsweek.
But The New York Times explained that Trump's tax issues were different because "records show that he depends more and more on making money from businesses that put him in potential and often direct conflict of interest with his job as president." The outlet reported that most of the core businesses in the Trump Organization report losing millions and even "tens of millions" year after year.
Keep reading to learn what a judge ordered Trump Organization leaders to do — and why that's not great news for the former president.
A judge ordered Trump Organization executives to turn over documents
Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have been ordered to comply with subpoenas ... or else. On September 24, a New York judge ordered the Trump Organization and its top executives to turn over documents to the court or pay a third party to do it. According to The Daily Beast, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ordered the former president's business to hand over the documents requested by the court by October 15. Via the Daily Beast, the judge said that because "disputes have arisen regarding the Trump Organization's document collection and production in response to [NYAG] subpoenas," the company must report by September 30 on the actions the organization has taken to "preserve, gather, and produce that evidence."
The Washington Post also reported that New York Attorney General Letitia James is moving forward with investigations of Trump's business. James has also been assisting Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., so there are dual tracks of civil and criminal lawsuits against the Trump organization. According to The Washington Post, James made a statement in response to the judge's order, saying, "For more than a year now, the Trump Organization has failed to adequately respond to our subpoenas, hiding behind procedural delays and excuses ... Once again, the court has ordered that the Trump Organization must turn over the information and documents we are seeking."
It sounds like things are getting serious for the Trump Organization, legally speaking.