President Donald Trump is reportedly “seriously considering” granting a pardon to Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is awaiting sentencing in a Brooklyn jail after being convicted on two prostitution-related charges.
Combs, 55, was acquitted earlier this month on the most severe charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but a jury still found him guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
He faces up to 10 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for Oct. 3.
Sources told Deadline that the pardon talk has moved “from just another Trump weave to an actionable event.”
The idea of a pardon has circulated since the beginning of Combs’ trial.
In May, Trump said, “Nobody’s asked but I know people are thinking about it.”
“Some people have been very close to asking,” he added.
“First of all, I’d look at what’s happening. I haven’t been watching it too closely, although it’s certainly getting a lot of coverage,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office.
“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,” Trump said. “I’d read some nasty statements in the paper all of a sudden.”
“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,” he added.
The potential pardon may run through Trump’s longtime criminal justice allies Alice Marie Johnson and Ed Martin.
Martin previously served as Trump’s interim top U.S. Attorney in D.C. and remains involved in clemency advocacy.
Attorney John Koufos, who recently met with Johnson and Martin, told the Daily Mail that the case could fit Trump’s push against “overcriminalization” and “weaponization” of the justice system.
“Had he been convicted of a RICO, you’d be looking at something different,” Koufos said. “The fact that he was convicted of things that it seems he pretty obviously did probably mitigates against a grant of clemency.”
“There’s nothing particularly sympathetic about the defendant,” Koufos added.
Trump has previously called Diddy a “good friend.” But one source close to the matter suggested the pardon would not hinge on past loyalty.
Trump championed the First Step Act during his first term and has a record of issuing controversial pardons, including former Rep. Michael Grimm and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who later called Trump a “great effing guy.”
Rapper 50 Cent, a longtime Combs rival, warned against a pardon. “He said some really bad things about Trump,” 50 Cent posted. “I’m gonna reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy.”
“Donald doesn’t take well to disrespect, and doesn’t forget who chooses to go against him,” 50 Cent wrote. “While working tirelessly to make America great again there is no room for distraction.”
Combs remains in custody at a Brooklyn facility as Trump weighs his decision.
The post Trump ‘Seriously Considering’ a Pardon for Diddy appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Anthony Gonzalez
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