Former U.S. president Donald Trump had a “cordial” interview that lasted a little over half an hour with probation authorities in New York City on Monday, according to sources.
In contrast to what typically happens in criminal cases, Todd Blanche, Trump’s defense attorney, was allowed to stand beside the Republican candidate as he took part in the interview virtually from Mar-a-Lago.
According to the sources, the interview was friendly and standard – and there were no unexpected questions for Trump.
Judge Juan Merchan will now get a report from the New York City Probation Department prior to Trump’s July 11 sentence on 34 felony charges of falsifying company documents. The report is expected to contain, among other things, Trump’s account of his offense, whether or not he showed regret, and any justifications he felt like making.
A New York City jury found Trump guilty of fabricating financial records as part of a plot to withhold information from voters before the 2016 election. The scheme included paying adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her alleged affair she allegedly had with the then-Republican candidate ten years earlier.
