Donald Trump Can't Be Trusted, Court's Ruling Shows: Legal Analyst

A New York appeals court ruling that dramatically reduced former President Donald Trump's bond amount also suggests that the ex-president cannot be trusted, according to legal analyst Andrew Weissmann. Trump, however, hailed the decision as a huge win.

The appeals court on Monday reduced the bond in Trump's civil business fraud case from more than $450 million to $175 million, while giving the former president an additional 10 days to gather the funds required to pay the bond.

The order also froze enforcement of New York State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron's previous decision to at least temporarily ban Trump, his two eldest sons and other defendants in the case from doing business in the Empire State.

However, the court left in place Engoron's order requiring an independent monitor to oversee Trump's businesses and a director of compliance to ensure that the businesses follow conditions put in place after Trump was found liable for committing business fraud.

"The motion is otherwise denied, including to the extent it seeks a stay of enforcement of portions of the judgment (1) extending and enhancing the role of the Monitor and (2) directing the installation of an Independent Director of Compliance," the final sentence of the order reads.

Weissmann, a former general counsel for the FBIT, argued on Monday in a post to X, formerly Twitter, that leaving the monitor and compliance director in place was "interesting" and suggested that the appellate court had a "lack of trust" in the defendants.

"It is interesting that the enhanced monitor and compliance provisions are NOT stayed (see the last sentence) - this signals a lack of trust in Trump and the other defendants," Weissmann wrote.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Trump's office via email on Monday.

However, shortly after the appeals court ruling was issued, Trump argued in a post to Truth Social that the decision meant the credibility of Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James "has been shattered," while also revealing "how ridiculous and outrageous Engoron's original decision was."

James said in a statement that the former president and his co-defendants were "still facing accountability" for what had been a "staggering fraud" and pointed out that "the $464 million judgment—plus interest—against Donald Trump and the other defendants still stands."

While Trump said that he would comply with the appeals court decision and post the reduced bond amount, the former president could still be facing the prospect of James freezing his assets and seizing his signature New York properties if he fails to come up with the cash within 10 days.

Earlier this month, Trump successfully posted a bond of over $90 million while launching an appeal of E. Jean Carroll's defamation case. The former president will remain liable for the full amount of the civil judgments against him if he fails to win the appeals.