Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Nearly a month after Diddy was convicted on two out of five charges, President Donald Trump addressed the possibility of granting him a pardon.
On Friday, August 1, the 79-year-old former president spoke with Newsmax, revealing his thoughts on whether he might offer the rapper a pardon. On the same day, Diddy’s lawyer also commented on the issue for the first time.
Before diving into these developments, let’s revisit the conclusion of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ trial, which reached its verdict at the start of July.
Diddy denied all five charges against him but was found guilty of two counts related to transportation for the purpose of engaging in prostitution, involving his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and another woman referred to by the pseudonym ‘Jane’ to protect her identity.
In an interview with Variety, Diddy’s lead attorney, Mark Agnifilo, was questioned about whether he had been in discussions with the Trump administration regarding a potential pardon for his client.
“I am not involved in that in the least. I have literally no idea. There are times I think there’s nothing to it, and there are times I think it’s just rumor mill stuff. But, I do not purport to know the president’s mind. I really don’t know,” he explained.
When asked to confirm that seeking a presidential pardon was not part of his legal strategy, Agnifilo stated: “No. My end of the business is very focused on the case alone – the merit of the case and what happened in the courtroom. I don’t do anything else.”
This discussion coincided with Trump’s conversation with Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty.
In an interview that aired on August 2, Finnerty questioned Trump about the possibility of pardoning Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
Trump responded: “Well, he was essentially, I guess, sort of half innocent. I don’t know what they do. He’s still in jail or something, but he was celebrating a victory. But he seems, I guess it wasn’t as good as a victory.
“Probably, you know, I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great and seemed like a nice guy – I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”
Finnerty added: “He said some not so nice things about you, sir.”
Combs’ rival, 50 Cent, shared some of these remarks on social media to remind Trump that the rapper was not a supporter, possibly influencing the president’s decision on a pardon.
Back in 2020, Combs stated on Revolt that ‘white men like Trump need to be banished’, and he had previously suggested there would be a ‘race war’ if Trump were elected.
Trump continued: “And it’s hard, you know, I’m like you – we’re human beings, and we don’t like to have things cloud our judgment, right? But when you knew someone and you were fine, and then you run for office and he made some terrible statements.
“So, I don’t know, it’s more difficult, it makes it more – I’m being honest – it makes it more difficult to do.”
Finnerty then asked: “But more likely a no for Combs?”
“I would say so,” Trump responded.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Alternatively, you can chat online via online.rainn.org