After teasing a possible pardon for the disgraced music mogul, Donald Trump has confirmed that he won’t be granting Sean “Diddy” Combs an early release from jail.
During a lengthy sit-down with New York Times reporters on January 7, the president was presented with names of various high-profile inmates, including the Bad Boy founder. When asked if he would consider pardons for them, it was revealed that Combs allegedly wrote a letter seeking clemency; however, Trump confirmed he is not considering Diddy’s request.
After stating to reporters that Combs “asked me for a pardon… through a letter,” he was questioned about when the alleged communication was sent. Trump replied,
“Oh, would you like to see that letter?”
, but he did not produce it, as reported by USA Today.
Previously, in October, Trump had mentioned in the Oval Office that the rapper and producer, currently appealing his sentence and conviction while serving a 50-month prison sentence in New Jersey, had asked for a pardon. It remains unclear if Combs sent any new communication to the president since those comments.
In an October 21 statement to USA Today, a White House representative stated that there was “zero truth” to a report claiming the president was contemplating commuting Combs’ sentence.
“The president, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations,”
the official noted.
During a prior interview, Trump discussed the strained relationship with Diddy, revealing to Newsmax host Rob Finnerty on August 1 that Combs' “hostile” comments during Trump’s first presidential term complicated his willingness to consider a pardon.
Unsurprisingly, many were pleased to learn that Diddy would remain incarcerated, particularly his longtime rival, 50 Cent. The rapper, who executive-produced the four-part Netflix docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning, even took credit for Trump’s reluctance to pardon Diddy in a victorious post on Instagram.
Sharing a screenshot of a headline regarding Trump “not considering” a pardon, 50 posted,
“What part of no don’t you understand…I told him what ya said he was surprised, you said some very nasty things about him.”
He later deleted the post, though the reason for the deletion remains uncertain.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!