US president Donald Trump has commented on potentially pardoning the disgraced music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, saying he’d “look at the facts”.
During a recent White House press briefing, a Fox News reporter asked Trump if he would consider pardoning Diddy, who is currently facing a high-profile sex-trafficking case. Prefacing the question, the reporter noted that Trump had previously said in 2012 that he was friends with the rapper.
“Nobody’s asked. You had to be the one to ask, Peter,” Trump said, responding to the question.
“I think some people have been very close to asking. 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.”
“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,” Trump said about Diddy.
“Our country is doing really well because of what we’re doing, so I can’t say, it’s not a popularity contest though, 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.”
Combs is charged with sex-trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution in the Southern District of New York. If convicted, he could potentially face up to life in prison.
Federal prosecutors have said Diddy coerced women for over two decades to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances known as “Freak Offs” with male sex workers.
Two women have testified that Combs raped them. One of them, a former assistant to Diddy, testified anonymously, saying she lived in fear of violent rages from him and feared retribution for reporting his alleged abuse.
Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura also took the stand against the man she says tormented her for over a decade. Ventura has been widely praised for her bravery in speaking out against Comb and advocating for the voices of victim-survivors to be heard.
Following the recent video footage of Trump suggesting he might pardon Diddy, fellow rapper 50 Cent took to Instagram to say he plans to “reach out” to Trump to share some of the “really bad things” Diddy has said about Trump.
A feud between the two rappers recently came up in court, with Comb’s former assistant testifying that Combs “had an issue with” 50 Cent.
In a follow-up post to the first, 50 Cent suggested Diddy’s comments about Trump could prevent a potential pardon because “Donald doesn’t take well to disrespect, and doesn’t forget who chooses to go against him”.
Since becoming US president, Trump has extensively used his power to pardon or commute other people’s sentences who were accused of or convicted of federal crimes. This move breaks with tradition, where previous US presidents have waited until the end of their terms to grant clemency.
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