Judge denies justice department plea to hold Trump in contempt over records

DoJ told to resolve noncompliance with subpoena demanding return of documents with ex-president's legal team

A top federal judge denied a request from the justice department to hold Donald Trump's office in contempt of court for failing to fully comply with a subpoena demanding the return of all documents bearing classified markings, according to sources familiar with proceedings.

The chief US judge for the District of Columbia Beryl Howell told the department during a closed-door hearing on Friday to resolve the matter with the Trump legal team itself because a contempt ruling would not hold, the sources said.