The U.S. government had accused Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, of exploiting women through coercion and drugs over two decades.
ATLANTA — Sean “Diddy” Combs’ defense team has reached out to former President Donald Trump seeking a pardon after the hip-hop mogul’s conviction on prostitution-related charges, a source close to the legal team confirmed Tuesday.
Trump, in a Newsmax interview last Friday, acknowledged, “They have talked to me about Sean,” but suggested a pardon was unlikely. “I would say so,” Trump said when asked if clemency for Combs was “more likely a no.”
Combs, 55, was convicted last month on two counts of interstate prostitution and faces up to 20 years in prison at his October 3 sentencing. He was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, the most serious counts brought by federal prosecutors.
The U.S. government had accused Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, of exploiting women through coercion and drugs over two decades. Prosecutors alleged he ran a “criminal enterprise” that enabled the abuse.
On Monday, a federal judge denied Combs’ bail request, keeping him in custody until sentencing.
A White House official declined to confirm whether a clemency request had been filed, saying, “The White House will not comment on the existence or nonexistence of any clemency request.”