Fair trial? Donald Trump responds to probation interview in less than 30 minutes

AP News reports that Donald Trump has completed the probation sentencing interview, which could define the type of sentence that he will face after being declared guilty in the Stormy Daniels trial.

On May 30, 2024, Donald Trump became the first current or former US President to become convicted of criminal charges. It remains to be seen what this will mean for the current presidential hopeful and the future of the United States government.

Trump’s sentence is scheduled for July 11, which according to Newsweek, will define if the New York mogul must pay a fine, do community service, probation, house arrest, or serve jail time.

However, Donald Trump had on June 10 a pre-sentence interview with a New York court officer via a Zoom meeting from his Florida home of Mar-a-Lago.

According to AP News, under New York law, people convicted of criminal charges usually meet a probation officer, a social worker, or a psychologist working for the probation department.

Usually, the objective of a pre-sentence probation interview is to elaborate a broader picture of the defendant and their circumstances to help the judge to potentially define the proper punishment.

This includes looking into family history, criminal records, employment and personal obligations. For instance, showing remorse or having someone dependent on you can give you some leeway.

Usually, these meetings are solely done between the defendant and the probation officer, but judge Juan Merchan allowed one of Trump’s layers, Todd Blanche, to be with the former US President during the interview.

The lawyers of the former US President already have declared they are already working to repeal the verdict as soon as possible, maintaining Trump’s innocence, AP News highlights.

The BBC writes that while serving jail time seems unlikely due to Trump’s advanced age and overall clean criminal record, serious questions have started to pop up in the Republican Party.

Four days after the date of Trump’s sentence, the Republican convention is scheduled to begin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, where Trump is excepted to formally become the Republican candidate for the 2024 US presidential election.

According to The New York Post, the Republican National Committee has been working on a few contingency plans in case Donald Trump has to serve jail time, house arrest, or any other situation that won’t allow him to go to Milwaukee.

“We have to be ready for anything,” said RNC co-chair Lara Trump on CNN, and quoted by The New York Post. “Whether it’s from Trump Tower in Manhattan, whether it’s from Mar-a-Lago, whether it’s from our convention in Milwaukee”.

“We will nominate Donald Trump as our Republican nominee and that’s what ultimately matters”, the co-chair of the Republican Party, who happens to be Trump’s daughter-in-law, remarked.

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