Former President Donald Trump will be interviewed by probation officials in New York on Monday, a necessary step before his July sentencing in his criminal hush-money case, according to three people familiar with the plan.
Trump will do the interview via computer video conference from his residence at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, the people told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly announce the plans.
One of Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche, will be present at the interview. People convicted of crimes in New York usually meet with probation officers without their lawyers, but the judge in Trump’s case: Juan Merchansaid in a letter on Friday that he would allow Blanche’s presence.
The usual purpose of a pre-sentencing hearing is to prepare a report that will tell the judge more about the suspect and possibly help determine the appropriate sentence for the crime.
Such reports are typically prepared by a probation officer, social worker, or psychologist working for the probation department who interviews the suspect and possibly that person’s family and friends, as well as people affected by the crime.
Presentation reports include a suspect’s personal history, criminal record, and sentencing recommendations. It also includes information about work and any obligations to care for a family member. It is also an opportunity for a suspect to say why he thinks he deserves a lighter sentence.
A jury convicted Trump of falsifying corporate records at his own company as part of a broader scheme to buy the silence of people who may have told embarrassing stories about him during the 2016 presidential campaign. One payment of $130,000 went to a porn actor, Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump, which he denied.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, says he is innocent of any crime and that the criminal case was filed to harm 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 intensify their ongoing witch hunts, further abusing and abusing the power of their offices to interfere in the presidential election.” ”
“President Trump and his legal team are already taking the necessary steps to challenge and defeat the lawless Manhattan DA case,” he said.
Merchan has scheduled Trump’s sentencing for July 11. He has the discretion to impose a wide range of sentences, ranging from probation and community service to up to four years in prison.
