Convicted music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs looked to the White House for major relief amid his legal saga, President Trump says.
“I have a lot of people asking for pardons,” Trump said Monday as reporters pressed him about whether he will pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein. Trump went on to name-drop Combs, using one of his former stage names.
“I call him Puff Daddy, he’s asked me for a pardon,” he continued. A representative for Combs did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but reports about a potential pardon for the Bad Boys Records founder and former Cîroc alcohol entrepreneur first surfaced months ago.
Combs, also formerly known as “Puffy,” “P. Diddy” and “Love,” was convicted in July in his high-profile federal criminal case, in which he was accused of sexually assaulting numerous women. Jurors found Combs guilty on two prostitution-related charges but cleared him of the most serious: racketeering and sex trafficking.
A month after the verdict, CNN reported that Combs’ legal team had reached out to the Trump administration to clear his name. “It’s my understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon,” attorney Nicole Westmoreland told the outlet at the time. Days later, the New York Post reported otherwise, with Combs’ lead attorney Marc Agnifilo disputing Westmoreland’s claim.
Earlier this year, Trump also issued pardons for rapper NBA YoungBoy and “Chrisley Knows Best” reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, among others.
Combs was sentenced Friday to more than four years in federal prison for transporting prostitutes across state lines for drug-fueled sex performances he dubbed “freak-offs.” The rapper’s legal team on Monday requested he carry out his sentence at FCI Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in New Jersey. This will allow Combs “to address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts,” lawyer Teny Geragos wrote.
Meanwhile, as Combs prepares for time behind bars, 50 Cent is making it abundantly clear he’s going to make the most out of his rap foe’s sentence. Over the weekend, the “Candy Shop” musician poked fun at an upcoming speaking engagement that Combs had scheduled before his sentencing, joking that he’s open to take the spot.
50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, also reacted on Trump’s latest pardon comment, of course. “Man you can’t get No pardon running ya mouth like that,” he wrote on Instagram. “LOL Get Out of here.”
Times staff writer Richard Winton and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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