Image source, Getty Images
- Author, Max Matza
- Role, BBC News
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Donald Trump will sit for a virtual interview with a probation officer from his home in Florida on Monday, part of the sentencing process for his felony conviction in the New York hush-money case.
The first former US president criminally convicted, Trump will appear from Mar-a-Lago and will be seated alongside his lawyer Todd Blanche, a source with knowledge of the matter told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
A New York City probation officer will use the interview in a pre-sentencing report for Justice Juan Merchan, who is currently deciding what punishment Trump must face.
Trump was convicted last month of 34 counts of falsifying business records and is expected to be sentenced on 11 July.
Defendants are typically required to attend probation interviews in person, but exceptions were likely made for Trump due to the high-profile nature of his case, an expert told the BBC.
It would be too disruptive for the former president to come to the probation office in New York City, said former New York Supreme Court judge Diane Kiesel.
“The press would be all over the building and the Secret Service would have to be there, too,” she said. “It makes more sense to do it this way.”
Convicts in the New York Court system do not usually have their lawyers present for probation interviews, Ms Kiesel added.
However, Judge Merchan has allowed Mr Blanche to appear alongside his client on Monday.
Pre-sentencing reports include information about nearly every aspect of a convict’s life, including where and when they were born, their marriages, criminal history, financial means, health and overall living arrangements.
The probation officer will ask Trump to talk about the crime he was convicted of, Ms Kiesel said.
She said most defendants will simply say they intend to appeal against the verdict – as Trump has said he will do – or decline to comment.
The reports are used by the judge to inform what punishment should be given.
The interview is often an opportunity for a convict to argue for leniency in the sentence.
The reports of the interview are confidential and will only be made available to the judge, the defendant and the lawyers in the case, Ms Kiesel said.
Jurors found Trump guilty of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election campaign.
Most legal commentators believe that Trump is unlikely to face any jail time, given his lack of criminal history and age.
Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. He has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the prosecution in New York is politically motivated and an attempt to prevent him from retaking the White House in November’s election.
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