Former attorney says Trump should remain silent during sentencing

Former President Trump’s ex-lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, said his former client should remain silent during his sentencing set for July after being found guilty on all 34 felony counts in his hush money case Thursday. 

“I’ll tell you one thing — and I’ve done sentencing before Judge [Juan] Merchan before — I would not suggest the defendant speak at the sentencing,” Parlatore said during his Thursday appearance on CNN’s panel, following the news of Trump’s conviction in the Manhattan case. 

“Of course, that’s his right, whether he wants to speak or not.”

Trump has frequently addressed the media during the trial in Manhattan.

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee often took the time to criticize Merchan and the prosecutors and the case itself, calling it “rigged.” During the trial, Merchan fined Trump for violating his gag order and even warned the former president that future violations could carry jail time. 

Merchan set Trump’s sentencing for July 11, just four days before the 2024 Republican National Convention.

CNN host Laura Coates, who was also on the panel, asked Parlatore, now a CNN legal commentator, if Trump should speak “even to say he’s remorseful.”

Parlatore, who left the former president’s legal team in May of last year, agreed with Coates that the former president would not offer remorse if he did opt to speak.

“That’s the point,” Parlatore said. “I don’t think he would say that, so that’s why you don’t want him to talk. You’re gonna instead say that, ‘My client does still maintain his innocence, and he’s going through the appellate process. We believe that there are certain appellate issues here, so don’t hold that against him.’”

“But instead, focus on issues such as history and characteristics of the defendant, lack of criminal history, all of those types of things,” he said.