Former US President Donald Trump leaves the courtroom after being found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City.
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Donald Trump was interviewed Monday by a New York probation officer who will provide a report that could shed light on the punishment Trump will receive for his hush money conviction.
The pre-verdict interview, which NBC News said lasted “less than thirty minutes,” comes about a month before Trump becomes the first former U.S. president and first major party presidential candidate ever to be convicted of a crime.
According to NBC News, which first reported the timing of the post-conviction proceedings, Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche was also involved in the interview, which they participated in via video from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
A Trump campaign spokesman confirmed to CNBC that Monday’s interview was virtual and not in person.
The interview gave Blanche the opportunity to highlight aspects of Trump’s life, such as his age, lack of arrest record or family ties, that could persuade Judge Juan Merchan to impose a lighter sentence.
Read more about Trump’s hush money trial
The pre-sentence report, which the probation officer submits after the hearing, makes sentencing recommendations to the judge and may also include information from other people involved in the case.
Trump’s sentencing date is July 11; His defense team’s deadline to submit its own sentencing recommendations to the judge is Thursday.
The probation hearing comes as Trump’s legal team prepares to challenge the May 30 Manhattan Supreme Court jury verdict that found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
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“President Trump and his legal team are already taking the necessary steps to challenge and defeat the lawless Manhattan DA case,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement to CNBC.
The New York jury concluded that Trump intended to commit, or at least aid or conceal, an election-related crime when he falsified business records related to a scheme to target porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election to silence.
Under New York law, first-degree falsifying business records is a Class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison.
Legal experts have expressed mixed views about whether Trump’s prosecutors will seek a prison sentence or whether Merchan would impose such a sentence.
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2024-06-10 22:47:49
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