Former RNC chair says N.Y. appeals court decision in Trump fraud case makes ‘no sense’

Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele criticized the New York appeals court’s decision to slash the amount former President Donald Trump owes in a bond and give him more time to secure the money before his assets start to be seized.

“Yet again, @realDonaldTrump gets special treatment with his own private system of justice. The NY Appeals Court has decided to give Trump more time to pay less money by reducing his bond from $454M to $175 [million] and giving him 10 days to get the money. This makes absolutely no sense,” Mr. Steele wrote on X Monday.

Mr. Steele has been an outspoken critic of the former president. He said last month in an opinion piece that Mr. Trump being allowed to revamp the RNC’s leadership will “end in an implosion.”

The appeals court Monday ruled that Mr. Trump can post a $175 million bond rather than the original $464 million while he appeals a civil judgment that found him liable for business fraud in the case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, and decided by Judge Arthur Engoron.

Monday was the deadline for the former president to post the bond or have his assets seized, but the appeals court decided to grant him an extra 10 days. The court said collection of the judgment would be stayed if Mr. Trump posted the significantly smaller bond, which the former president said he will do.

Mr. Trump had complained since the judgment was decided that he was not able to get a bond for the higher amount. His lawyers said they approached 30 surety companies through four brokers and found that obtaining the money was “a practical impossibility.”

The appeals court decision also paused the enforcement of Mr. Trump and his top business officials from serving as executives in New York businesses. It did not stop the placement of a monitor and director of compliance on the Trump Organization.

“We will abide by the decision of the Appellate Division, and post either a bond, equivalent securities, or cash,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This also shows how ridiculous and outrageous Engoron’s original decision was at $450 Million.”