With sentencing in July, Trump could not have skipped post-sentencing report | Fact check
The claim: Donald Trump ‘blew off his post-sentencing probation report’
A June 3 post on Threads (direct link, archive link) claims former President Donald Trump skipped a mandatory court requirement after he was convicted of falsifying business records.
“Trump blew off his post-sentencing probation report,” the post reads. “An ordinary felon would be slammed in jail for that. He ran when he discovered there was a drug test involved.”
The post was liked more than 700 times in a week.
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Our rating: False
Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for July, so he could not have skipped a post-sentencing event. He also hasn't been ordered to participate in any such report. This may be an attempt to reference Trump's pre-sentence report, which had not been conducted at the time of this post, but there are no credible reports he made any attempts to avoid it.
Trump sentencing still weeks away
Trump was found guilty May 30 on all 34 counts in his New York criminal trial. He was convicted of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Justice Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing for July 11, making it impossible for him to have missed taking part in any post-sentencing activity.
Neither the New York City Bar Association’s criminal justice handbook nor the New York Unified Courts website say a “post-sentencing" report is part of the process after a person is convicted of a felony in New York. The city’s Department of Probation similarly does not list participation in a “post-sentencing report” as part of the adult probation process.
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If the claim meant to refer to an interview that is part of a pre-sentencing report Merchan will receive from a New York probation officer, Trump had not been required to participate in one before the social media user made the post. But Trump has since had the interview, according to the Washington Post.
There are also no credible reports that Trump “ran” away for any reason, much less because of the possibility of a drug test.
Since Trump’s conviction, misinformation has circulated about what lies ahead in the legal process. USA TODAY previously debunked false claims that a photo was a picture of his probation officer and that any appeals Trump files would be heard by a panel made up exclusively of Black women.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
PolitiFact and Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
New York State Unified Court System, updated July 14, 2016, Pre-Sentence Report
New York State Unified Court System, updated Oct. 18, 2016, Sentencing Basics
New York City Bar Association, accessed June 10, New York State Criminal Justice Handbook
City of New York, accessed June 10, Adult Probation Process
Washington Post, June 10, Trump meets with N.Y. probation officer over video
Politico, June 5, To Avoid Prison, Trump May Have to Convince a Probation Officer
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump participated in interview for pre-sentencing report | Fact check
