Will Donald Trump pardon Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs? Why rapper might have shot himself in the foot
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution charges in July and faces up to 20 years in prison. Since the verdict, the rapper has attempted to be released on bail on two occasions, but has been denied by the judge. As his October 3rd sentencing looms, Combs is looking to Donald Trump for help, but there may be some complications.
On August 5th, Combs’ attorney, Nicole Westmoreland, revealed that his legal team had contacted the Trump Administration regarding a presidential pardon. “It’s my understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon,” she said. A pardon involves legal forgiveness for federal offences that would otherwise be prosecuted in court.
The news came shortly after a Trump source alleged a full presidential pardon was being “seriously considered,” increasing from “just another Trump weave to an actionable event.” Trump previously addressed Combs’s situation in May, claiming he didn’t know much about the case details. He told reporters at the Oval Office, “Nobody’s asked, but I know people are thinking about it. First of all, I’d look at what’s happening, and I haven’t been watching it too closely. I haven’t seen him. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”
However, there was a change of tune last week. Speaking to Newsmax, Trump admitted they were once on good terms until Combs changed his stance amid his presidential bid. “I was very friendly with him,” he said. “I got along with him great, and he seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.” He added that while “we don’t like to have things cloud our judgement,” Combs’ “terrible statements” could make a pardon “more difficult to do.”
Combs slammed Trump when he was running for president, which his longtime rival 50 Cent has been highlighting in recent months. “If Trump gets elected, I really do believe in my heart there will be a race war,” Combs told Revolt TV. “That’s why this message is not just to Black people. This message is to everybody. This man is really trying to turn us against each other and put us in a situation. America really messed up.”
In the same interview, he said, “White men like Trump need to be banished. That way of thinking is real dangerous. When you look at it, we don’t have no choice. Say what you want about [Joe] Biden, I can’t say I love the pick either. But we’ve got to get him in office, and then we’ve got to hold him accountable.”
Combs claimed that Trump attended his 30th birthday party. Speaking on The Late Late Show, he stated, “I’m not against speaking to anybody for the betterment of the greater good. We’re in a crazy time. It’s really hard to speak and amplify what’s going on. I try right now to just lead by example and I think a lot of times it’s a big distraction and a lot of times it’s a wake up call for us to take accountability on the future of America and the future of the world.”
The ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ rapper had a completely different opinion on Trump in the past. Combs once told The Washington Post, “Donald Trump is a friend of mine, and he works very hard.” He also mentioned him on ‘We Gon’ Make It’, a song that appeared on his 2006 album Press Play. In the third verse, he raps, “I spend absurd money, private bird money/ That Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Bloomberg money.”
By reaching out to Trump, Combs hopes the president will forget his recent criticisms and replace them with some of the praise he gave him years ago. If not, he could spend a lot of time behind bars.