Trump will undergo a parole interview on Monday, a mandatory step before his sentencing in New York

Former president donald trump is scheduled to be interviewed by New York parole officials on Monday, a mandatory step before his July sentencing in his crime silent money caseaccording to three people familiar with the plan.

Trump will conduct the interview via computer video conference from his residence at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, the people told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly disclose the plans.

One of Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche, will be present for the interview. People convicted of crimes in New York usually meet with their parole officers without their lawyers, but the judge in Trump’s case, Juan Merchansaid in a letter on Friday that he would allow Blanche to be present.

The usual purpose of a pre-sentence probation interview is to prepare a report that will tell the judge more about the defendant and potentially help determine the appropriate punishment for the crime.

Such reports are typically prepared by a probation officer, social worker, or psychologist working for the probation department who interviews the defendant and possibly that person’s family and friends, as well as those affected by the crime.

Presentence reports include the defendant’s personal history, criminal history, and sentencing recommendations. It will also include information about employment and any obligations to help care for a family member. It is also an opportunity for the defendant to say why they think they deserve a lighter punishment.

A jury convicted Trump of falsifying business records at his own company as part of a broader scheme to buy the silence of people who might have told embarrassing stories about him during the 2016 presidential campaign. A $130,000 payment went to a porn actor, Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump, which he denied.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, says he is innocent of any crime and that the criminal case was brought to harm his chances of winning back the White House.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement Sunday that President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party allies “continue to intensify their ongoing witch hunts, further abusing and abusing the power of their positions to interfere in Presidential elections”.

“President Trump and his legal team are already taking the necessary steps to challenge and defeat the Manhattan District Attorney’s illegal case,” he said.

Merchan scheduled Trump’s sentencing for July 11. He has discretionary power to impose a wide range of punishments, ranging from probation and community service to up to four years in prison.