Trump talks potential Diddy pardon if hip-hop mogul convicted of sex trafficking

Asked about a potential pardon for Diddy, President Donald Trump addressed “the facts” and a detail that “wouldn’t have any impact” on his decision.

(Video Credit: Fox News)

It’s been well-documented that before his entry into politics, the GOP leader was widely accepted among celebrity circles. While past connections meant little to some who instead chose to demonize the man for running as a Republican, a prior link to hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was raised and dismissed by the president when probed about a possible pardon.

Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump during an Oval Office press conference Friday, “Back when you hosted “The Apprentice,” you mentioned once in 2012 that Diddy was a good friend of yours back then. He has since found himself in some very serious legal trouble. Would you ever consider pardoning him?”

“Well, nobody’s asked,” began Trump. “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.”

Combs was charged in September with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution as the 14-page indictment detailed the alleged “Freak Offs” that the rapper was said to have forced people to participate in.

“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,” explained the president. “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 … that relationship busted up, from what I read. I don’t know — he didn’t tell me that, but I’d read some little bit nasty statements in the paper all of a sudden.”

Ultimately, Trump expressed, “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 on me.”

Earlier in May, Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight, currently serving a 28-year sentence for a 2015 hit-and-run after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2018, spoke via phone with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo and insisted that the GOP leader was certain to offer a pardon to Combs.

“He’s got enough influence, and I’m pretty sure, it seems like the prosecution is that bad against him. You know, I think he’s got some favors with the government. I think they’re gonna show him a little leeway. It might not seem like it when it’s all said and done, but I don’t think he has nothing to worry about, and I don’t think he’s worried because he’s gonna be federal, and if he gets convicted, Trump’s gonna pardon him,” said Knight who went on to remind that Trump had commuted the sentence of Death Row Records co-founder Michael Harris on his way out of the White House in 2021.

Just this week, reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley were among those who accepted a pardon from the president after they were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison for defrauding banks and tax evasion.

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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