Trump makes case for lighter ‘hush money’ trial punishment in interview with probation officials
Former President Donald Trump was interviewed by New York probation officials Monday in preparation for his July sentencing following his criminal hush money case.
“Earlier today, President Trump completed a routine interview with [the] New York Probation Office,” a person familiar with the proceedings told The Post. “The interview was uneventful and lasted less than thirty minutes.”
“The President and his team will continue to fight the lawless Manhattan DA Witch Hunt, along with the other Crooked Joe Biden-directed Hoaxes,” the source added.
Trump, 77, conducted the virtual interview from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., according to the Associated Press.
One of Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche, was present for the interview even though in New York, people convicted of crimes usually meet probation officials without their attorneys.
What happens next after Trump is found guilty in hush money case
- Donald Trump, who was found guilty on all 34 counts, will remain free until his scheduled sentencing on the morning of July 11.
- The former president does not face any travel restrictions until the sentencing.
- Trump’s attorneys said they plan to appeal the verdict “as soon as we can.”
- If Trump loses an appeal with the mid-level appeals court, he’ll likely seek to have the state’s highest court hear his case, which could take an additional year.
Here you can read more about what happens next following the historic guilty verdict and what Trump potentially faces.
The judge in Trump’s case, Juan Merchan, said in a letter Friday that he would allow Blanche to attend the meeting.
The pre-sentencing probation interview is meant to prepare a report that will tell the judge more about the defendant and help determine the proper punishment for the crime. Presentence reports also detail the defendant’s personal history and allow the defendant a chance to explain why they feel they deserve a lighter punishment.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president could be forced to pick up trash from the street, work in a food pantry, or perform other menial tasks if he is slapped with community service as part of his sentencing for his felony conviction, experts previously explained to The Post.
Trump was found guilty by the jury on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election.
The ex-president’s campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung on Sunday said President Biden’s allies “continue to ramp up their ongoing Witch-Hunts, further abusing and misusing the power of their offices to interfere in the presidential election.”
“President Trump and his legal team are already taking necessary steps to challenge and defeat the lawless Manhattan DA case,” he said.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and claims the criminal case was brought against him to hurt his chances of winning back the White House in 2024. He is slated to be sentenced on July 11 by Merchan after making history as the first US president to be convicted of a crime.
