President Donald Trump speculated over Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing sex trafficking trial when asked if he would consider a pardon if the rap mogul is convicted.
“Nobody’s asked, but I know people are thinking about it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, during an unrelated press conference.
In terms of a potential pardon, Trump said, “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…I haven’t seen him. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”
The president added, “He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics, sort of, that relationship busted up from what I read…you become a much different person when you run for politics and you do what’s right…our country’s doing really well because of what we’re doing.”
“If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me,” he added.
Diddy is on trial in a New York federal court accused of sex trafficking and a host of other charges. Prosecutors say Diddy threatened, abused, and coerced victims “to fulfill his sexual desires” for two decades. Combs has denied any accusations of wrongdoing.
Allies of Combs have been attempting to gain favor with those close to Trump in hope the president would pardon the rap mogul, according to a Rolling Stone report which cited sources close to the individuals involved.
One source reportedly said Combs is “willing to do anything to get out of jail.”
“He’s always been this way. He’s always going to do what he has to do to get out of a situation,” the source said, adding, “He doesn’t even like Donald Trump.”
Combs may face 15 years to life in prison if convicted.
Trump went on a pardoning spree this week, granting clemency to gang leaders, reality TV fraudsters, and various white-collar criminals.
Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, longtime Trump supporters who were convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022, received pardons from the president on Wednesday.
White House official Margo Martin posted a video on X on Tuesday of Trump calling the couple’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley, to share the news.
“It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a great thing, because your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” he said over the phone.
Louisiana rapper NBA Youngboy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was pardoned by the president on Wednesday. Gaulden was sentenced to just under two years for gun-related charges.
“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” Gaulden said in an online statement.
The president also commuted the sentence of notorious former gang leader Larry Hoover after being lobbied for years by Kanye West. Hoover, now 74, was the leader of the Chicago-based Gangster Disciples and was convicted in 1997 for running the criminal enterprise. He was serving a 200-year federal sentence in a Colorado high-security prison.
Trump also issued pardons for James Callahan, a New York labor union leader who pleaded guilty to failing to report at least $315,000 in gifts from an advertising company, and former Arkansas state senator Jeremy Hutchinson, who was convicted of tax fraud and accepting bribes.
Trump himself is a 34-time convicted felon. Exactly one year ago today, he was found guilty on all counts of falsifying business records as part of a conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election, marking the first-ever criminal conviction of an American president.
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