Trump probation interview set for Monday after hush money conviction

[mystery-ak]

June 9, 2024, 12:02 PM CDT
By Adam Reiss, Laura Jarrett and Summer Concepcion

Former President Trump is scheduled to sit for a virtual interview on Monday with a New York City probation officer from his home at Mar-a-Lago with his attorney Todd Blanche at his side after he was found guilty on all counts in the hush money trial against him last month, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was convicted last month on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the historic case. The probation interview is required by the court as part of the former president’s pre-sentencing report.

Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money case, permitted Blanche to be present for the probation interview after prosecutors did not object. The Trump defense team is scheduled to submit their sentencing recommendation on June 13.

The former president is scheduled to be sentenced for all 34 felony counts in New York on July 11, days before the Republican National Convention begins.

Some legal experts noted that holding a probation interview over a video conference call is unusual but having the former president in a New York probation would also be unprecedented.

Martin Horn, former commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections and Probation, told NBC News, “it is highly unusual for a pre-sentence investigation interview to be done over Zoom," but acknowledged that an in-person visit by Trump to the probation office would be "very disruptive."

“But you can argue that Trump’s appearance at the probation office on the 10th floor of the Criminal Court Building in Manhattan where his trial took place, with Secret Service and press following him, would be very disruptive to the probation office and unfair to other defendants who might not want to be identified,” he said. “So in the end, this might be better for the probation officer.”

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-probation-interview-monday-hush-money-conviction-rcna156219

[Elderberry]

Expert Describes Why Trump’s Probation Interview Was ‘Highly Unusual’

Daily Beast by Josh Fiallo 6/10/2024

The former president won’t be under oath, but any lies he says in the meeting could come back to bite him at his sentencing hearing.

Donald Trump sat down with a New York City probation official on Monday for a court-mandated, pre-sentencing meeting—but legal experts say the former president didn’t receive the same treatment as other recent convicts in the city.

Citing an unnamed source, the Associated Press reported around 6 p.m. Monday that Trump’s interview had wrapped up after “less than a half-hour of routine and uneventful questions and answers.”

Mayor Eric Adam’s office confirmed to The Daily Beast that Trump was permitted to attend the probation meeting through Zoom, with his defense attorney, Todd Blanche, seated by his side.

That’s not the typical procedure for most convicted felons, however, said Martin Horn, a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections and Probation who now lectures at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Horn told The Daily Beast on Monday that Trump’s virtual meeting—with the added protection of his lawyer—was “highly unusual” and likely changed the dynamic of the entire encounter. He said pre-sentencing meetings are usually held in person, allowing a probation officer to ask pressing questions about a convict’s life without outside interference.

Those same questions were likely asked Monday, Horn said, but Trump had Blanche to lean on for answers from the comfort of Mar-a-Lago.

Horn said the purpose of a probation interview is to learn about a felon’s social and criminal history, their financial situation, marital life, and of any health issues that may be pertinent when deciding a potential prison sentence. Information gathered from the meeting is given to the case’s judge, who then takes it into consideration when deciding a sentence.

Trump, like all other felons, wasn’t under oath during his meeting. That means he could have lied or fudged certain answers without immediate consequence, but those hypothetical fibs—if confirmed to be untrue—could lead Judge Juan Merchan to issue Trump a stiffer sentence for not cooperating, Horn said.

More: https://www.thedailybeast.com/expert-describes-why-trumps-probation-interview-was-highly-unusual