Donald Trump said he would probably not pardon Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs after the mogul was convicted of transportation for prostitution but not guilty on several more serious charges.
The president did note, however, that Combs’ acquittal on numerous sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges meant he was ‘essentially, sort of, half innocent’.
Trump had reportedly been ‘seriously considering’ a pardon for Combs as he awaits his sentencing in a Brooklyn jail.
Speaking to Newsmax on Friday, Trump ultimately said it was ‘more likely a no’ but noted the interesting situation the rapper had found himself in.
‘Well he was essentially, sort of, half-innocent. I don’t know what they do that he’s still in jail or something. He was celebrating a victory but I guess it wasn’t as good a victory,’ he said.
The president then detailed his past relationship with Combs, as both are native New Yorkers who became famous.
‘I was very friendly with him, get along with him great, seemed like a nice guy, didn’t know him well,’ he said.
That started to take a turn when Trump moved toward politics. While Combs was largely agnostic in the 2016 race, he endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and said if Trump won there would be a race war.
Donald Trump said he would probably not pardon Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs after the mogul was convicted of transportation for prostitution but not guilty on several more serious charges
The president (pictured center left) did note, however, that Combs’ (pictured center right) acquittal on numerous sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges meant he was ‘essentially, sort of, half innocent’
‘But when I ran for office he was very hostile. But it was hard with human beings and we don’t like to have things cloud our judgement, 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 makes it more difficult to do,’ he said.
Interviewer Rob Finnerty pushed him on it, suggesting it was ‘more likely a no for Combs?’
Trump replied: ‘I’d say so.’
As the judge prepares his punishment for the former producer over prostitution charges, a source told Deadline that Trump has been mulling the reprieve.
Diddy has been acquitted on three of his most serious charges.
Insiders told the outlet that the idea had advanced from ‘just another Trump weave to an actionable event’.
The 55-year-old mogul was found not-guilty of sex-trafficking and racketeering earlier this month, but was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs is set to receive his sentencing on October 3 and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The 55-year-old rap mogul was found not-guilty of sex-trafficking and racketeering earlier this month, but was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution
Combs is set to receive his sentencing on October 3 and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison
A presidential pardon has been talked of since the beginning of Combs’ trial, and Trump even indicated in May that he was open to the idea.
The President said, when asked on the matter in the Oval Office, that ‘nobody’s asked but I know people are thinking about it.’
‘I know they’re thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking,’ he added.
‘First of all, I’d look at what’s happening. And I haven’t been watching it too closely, although it’s certainly getting a lot of coverage,’ Trump continued.
‘I haven’t seen him, I haven’t spoken to him in years. He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics he sort of, that relationship busted up from what I read. I don’t know. He didn’t tell me that, but I’d read some nasty statements in the paper all of a sudden.’
‘So, I don’t know. I would certainly look at the facts. if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me it wouldn’t have any impact,’ he concluded.
Attorney John Koufos, who recently met with Trump’s pardon ‘tsar’ Alice Marie Johnson and pardon attorney Ed Martin, told the Daily Mail elements of the case fit with Trump’s push against ‘overcriminalization’ and ‘weaponization’ in charging.
Trump was himself charged with a racketeering conspiracy in the Georgia election interference case, and he has long railed against what he calls weaponization of the criminal justice system.
A presidential pardon has been talked of since the beginning of Combs’ trial, and Trump even indicated in May that he was open to the idea
Trump has previously called Diddy a ‘good friend’
Analysts watching the Diddy case have questioned whether the government overcharged him, and Koufos wondered how the defendant could be engaging in a RICO conspiracy by themselves.
‘Had he been convicted of a RICO [charge], you’d be looking at something different. The fact that he was convicted of things that it seems that he pretty obviously did probably mitigates against a grant of clemency,’ he said, nothing there was ‘nothing particularly sympathetic’ about the defendant.
The avenue for a potential pardon appears to run through Johnson and Martin, who previously served as Trump’s interim top US Attorney in the District of Columbia.
Trump has long championed his signing of the First Step Act, which reauthorized Second Chance legislation meant to boost successful reentry by former prisoners into the population.
He has also been open to pardoning political allies, as he did when pardoning former Republican Rep. Michael Grimm and former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojavech. Blagojevich promptly called him a ‘great effing guy.’
