Trump scheduled for Monday pre-sentencing interview after hush money conviction
By Kaitlan Collins, John Miller, Alayna Treene and Lauren del Valle, CNN
(CNN) — Former President Donald Trump is scheduled for a pre-sentencing hearing with a probation officer Monday after his hush money trial conviction last month, according to a Trump campaign official and two sources familiar with the matter.
The interview will be virtual and, as CNN previously reported, Trump attorney Todd Blanche will be present. Typically, a convicted defendant meets with a probation officer without an attorney.
Monday’s routine pre-sentencing interview, which was first reported by NBC News, will form part of the report the probation department will submit to Judge Juan Merchan to help decide Trump’s punishment ahead of his sentencing, set for July 11.
Last month, a Manhattan jury found Trump – the presumptive GOP presidential nominee – guilty of all 34 charges in his hush money trial, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony.
Trump does not have to cooperate with the routine pre-sentencing investigation, but a judge can take a negative inference from a defendant’s lack of cooperation with the process.
In the pre-sentencing hearing, a defendant is typically asked about their conviction and other basic background information such as their employment and criminal history.
As part of the process, Trump’s legal team can submit letters of support from his friends and family to Merchan. The former president’s team is scheduled to submit its sentencing recommendation Thursday, according to a source familiar with the plan.
“President Trump and his legal team are already taking necessary steps to challenge and defeat the lawless Manhattan DA case,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement Saturday.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will also submit a memo telling the judge what sentence it sees fit for Trump.
Merchan could sentence Trump to probation or up to four years in state prison on each count, with a maximum of 20 years.
Prosecutors have never sought to remand Trump into custody, so the former president is free as he awaits sentencing.
This story has been updated with additional details.
The-CNN-Wire
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