President Trump logged some virtual face time with his probation officer on Monday.
It wasn’t that long, clocking in under thirty minutes, and sources say it was drama-free.
Trump, while in Palm Beach, got the green light to join the meeting.
He even brought a lawyer along for the ride.
Can you imagine that you’d ever see the day that an innocent President would have a probation officer?
We truly are living in bizarre times.
The Washington Post reports:
President Donald Trump met with his probation officer via a video conference call Monday, a routine step following a verdict in the Manhattan hush money trial that found him guilty on 34 counts.
The interview with the New York City Department of Probation was “uneventful and lasted less than thirty minutes,” according to a person familiar with the proceedings who spoke on the condition anonymity to freely discuss the private meeting.
Trump received special dispensation to hold the meeting virtually and was in Palm Beach, Fla. He was also allowed to have one of his lawyers appear alongside him, an exception granted to him by Justice Juan Merchan, who oversaw the trial.
The Trump campaign did not respond for comment on further details of the call.
The interview is a routine step for defendants after a guilty verdict. The probation department — housed on the 10th floor of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse — prepares presentencing reports for judges and is in charge of interviewing convicted felons on topics including their personal history, mental health and the circumstances that led to the conviction.
Trump, who is now a felon, has vowed to appeal the verdict. He was still required to undergo this interview ahead of sentencing, scheduled for July 11.
The former president was convicted in late May of charges relating to $130,000 in payments made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election to keep her quiet about a sexual encounter she said they had. His conviction does not disqualify him from running for the presidency.
Some legal experts have told The Washington Post that it is unlikely that Trump, 77, will face incarceration. It will be Merchan who will decide whether Trump sees jail time. His decision will be informed by input from both the prosecution and defense. Alternative punishments for Trump include probation or home confinement.
Trump’s attorneys are expected to file a presentencing brief by Thursday. The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which prosecuted the case, has until June 27 to file its recommendation. A probation officer’s report is generally not a public document but aspects of it could become public in court.
Trump is being forced to do an interview with a probation officer today at Mar-a-Lago
Judge Merchan will evaluate it before sentencing to see how remorseful Trump is, etc
They're treating a former president like a thug off the streets. These are scary times pic.twitter.com/hFWLLnmnBB
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) June 10, 2024
The Left has done an amazing job showing just how biased they are against Trump.
You gotta give ’em that.
.@JonathanTurley on Trump's pre-sentencing interview with a probation officer pic.twitter.com/6bP9T6t8JL
— Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) June 11, 2024
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