Donald Trump will be interviewed by probation officials before sentencing for a felony conviction in NY
Former president Donald Trump is scheduled to be interviewed by New York probation officials on Monday, a required step before sentencing in July in his criminal case silent money caseaccording to three people familiar with the plan.
Trump will conduct the interview via a computer video conference from his residence at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, people told the Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal the plans publicly.
One of Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche, will be present for the interview. People convicted in New York often meet with probation officials without their lawyers, but the judge in Trump’s case, Juan Mercan, said in a letter Friday that he would allow Blanche present.
The usual purpose of a pre-sentence probation interview is to prepare a report that tells the judge more about the defendant and potentially helps determine the appropriate punishment for the offender.
Such reports are typically prepared by a probation officer, social worker, or psychologist working for the probation department, who will interview the defendant and possibly his or her family and friends. as well as those affected by crime.
The presentence report includes the defendant’s personal history, criminal record, and sentencing recommendations. It will also include information about employment and any obligations to help care for a family member. This is also an opportunity for the defendant to say why they think they deserve a lighter sentence.
A jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records at his own company as part of a larger scheme to buy the silence of people who might have told embarrassing stories about him during the campaign. 2016 presidential campaign. A $130,000 payment was made to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had sex with Trump, which he denied.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, says he is innocent of any crime and that the criminal case is being brought to hurt his chances of regaining the White House.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement Sunday that President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party allies “continue to ramp up their ongoing Witch Hunts, continue to misuse and abuse the power of their offices to interfere in the presidential election.”
“President Trump and his legal team have taken the necessary steps to challenge and defeat the lawless Manhattan DA,” he said.
Mercan has scheduled Trump’s sentencing for July 11. He has discretion to impose a variety of penalties, from probation and community service to up to four years in prison.
