Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs officially requests pardon from Donald Trump
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs has officially requested a pardon from Donald Trump. The Bad Boy rapper is currently behind bars awaiting sentencing and has asked the president to absolve him of his crimes.
Combs was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking, but was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He’s facing a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Now, his lawyer, Nicole Westmoreland, has confirmed that conversations with the Trump Administration regarding a presidential pardon have occurred.
She told CNN, “It’s my understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon.”
During an interview with Newsmax last week, Trump said, “I was very friendly with him, 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 judgment,” Combs’ “terrible statements” make a pardon “more difficult to do.”
Last month, a source close to the Trump administration claimed a full presidential pardon was being “seriously considered.” The possibility increased from “just another Trump weave to an actionable event.”
In May, Trump addressed Combs’s situation, telling 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.”
Combs heavily criticised Trump when he was running for president. “If Trump gets elected, I really do believe in my heart there will be a race war,” he said. “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 added that “white men like Trump need to be banished.” Whether these comments will stop him from gaining freedom remains to be seen.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.