Defense lawyers slam Trump’s 'special treatment' in NYC probation interview: 'Two-tiered system of justice'

11 June 2024

On Thursday, July 11 — four days before the start of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee — Justice Juan Merchan is scheduled to sentence presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump on 34 criminal counts. And Trump has already submitted to a pre-sentencing interview.

The interview, according to Business Insider's Laura Italiano, was conducted virtually on Monday, June 10. Trump, with attorney Todd Blanche at his side, did not have to attend in-person, but was allowed to be interviewed remotely online from Mar-a-Lago. That article claims "Trump got special treatment from NYC probation, and defense lawyers are crying foul."

Italiano notes, however, that according to multiple defense attorneys interviewed by Business Insider, "Defendants who aren't in jail while awaiting sentencing are told to attend in person — and alone — when they sit for an interview with the (New York) City Department of Probation."

"In New York, probation officers talk to the defendant and the prosecutor in separate presentencing interviews in preparation for what's known as a presentencing report," Italiano explains. "These reports are important because they recommend to the judge what punishment would be appropriate."

Several groups are arguing that Trump, by being allowed to attend the meeting virtually, received special treatment.

In a joint statement, the Legal Aid Society, the Bronx Defenders, the New York County Defender Services, and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem complained, "This is just another example of our two-tiered system of justice."

Legal aid groups are also complaining that Trump was allowed to have an attorney with him during the meeting —unlike other defendants in New York City.

Italiano reports, "Defendants such as Trump, who are at liberty, are almost always required to appear alone and in person for their probation interviews, the lawyers said."

Read Business Insider's full report at this link.

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