Sean Combs trial: Trump drops Diddy pardon bombshell
The US president has been on a spree of pardons in recent days – now he has said “people are thinking about” what could happen at the Sean Combs trial.
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A former staff member of Sean “Diddy” Combs has told a court of the seemingly mundane text message she received from the music star that “terrified” her.
At one point the witness, known as “Mia”, was so scared when a phone call came through from Combs – despite leaving his company years previously – she threw her phone across the room and left her building to get away from it. On the stand, she denied claims by Combs’ lawyers that accusations from her that she was raped by the star were untrue.
Meanwhile US President Donald Trump said on Friday, US time, he would “look at” pardoning Combs but “nobody’s asked”.
Combs is on trial in New York on federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs has denied all the charges. Combs has not been charged in connection with any of Mia’s courtroom claims.
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Possible Trump pardon
President Trump has in recent days pardoned several people on federal charges including two reality TV stars and the rapper NBA YoungBoy. It’s not the first rapper he’s pardoned.
In the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump was asked if Combs might also receive a pardon given his case is in federal court.
He replied that he would “certainly look at the facts”.
“Nobody’s asked” he said, but added, “I think some people have been very close to asking”.
“People are thinking about it”.
“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”.
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Combs appeared in a 2012 episode of reality show The Apprentice where Mr Trump, in his role as host, called the star “a good friend of mine” and “a good guy”.
On Friday, Mr Trump said he hadn’t spoken to Combs “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. I’d read some little bit nasty statements.”
Nonetheless, said the president, “if somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me”.
Text ‘terrified’ me
“Mia” retook the stand on Friday. The court has granted Mia — not her real name — anonymity, which means few details can be reported about her.
Previously she told the court she worked for Combs, who she knew as “Puff,” for eight years, until 2017, rising from an assistant to the star to an executive.
She has accused Combs of repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting her when she worked for him ad well as physical and mental abuse.
On Friday, the Manhattan federal court was shown a text exchange between Mia and Comb’s former security guard Marion Knight Jr, also known as “D-Roc”.
That out of the blue text came in 2023, several years after Mia left Combs’ employment.
She said it was clear the call was about a civil suit that Combs’ former girlfriend Cassie Ventura has just lodged.
“Puff really wanted to talk to me, maybe I could say something?” Mia recounted the text from D-Roc as saying. “He was going to call me”.
She said she felt like Combs wanted to make sure she “wasn’t a threat” to him when it came to Ms Ventura’s legal proceedings. There was also an implication, she said, that they might want to send her a bribe.
Several hours later, Combs called her directly.
“Seeing Puff call made me throw my phone as far as it would go and I ran outside,” Mia said, who has claimed she has PTSD from working with Combs and now cannot work.
D-Roc continued to contact Mia, the court heard, trying to get her to speak to Combs. She would either not reply or when she did she would lie and say that she didn’t have notifications on her phone so didn’t see texts or calls.
Then Combs himself began texting her.
“Hey, its Puff please let me know when you have 10 mins to talk. Love,” one message to Mia read.
Another text from Combs read: “Hey I don’t want to be blowing up your phone. Just need to talk to jog my memory on things. You were my right hand woman for years, would be good to hear your voice but if you don’t want to talk all good.”
Despite the seeming cheeriness of the texts, Mia told the court: “I felt terrified”.
She has accused him of threatening to kill her several times, including when Ms Ventura found out he was cheating on her.
“I wanted nothing to do with him or anything,” she said.
“He was the person I was traumatised by and now he was coming back.
“I knew this was about (the case)”.
Failed attempt to flee Combs
Earlier, Mia had told the jury about one claimed incident where she was so traumatised she tried – and failed – to flee Combs.
She was on the French Caribbean island of St Barts around New Year’s 2011/2012 on a yacht hired by Combs.
Mia said the musician and producer asked her to count some cash, which was not her usual role.
“He got really angry that I was counting too slow,” she said.
“He told me ‘you better learn to walk on water b***h, like Jesus’”.
Mia said she ran out of the room and hid as best she could from Combs elsewhere on the yacht. Finally she persuaded the crew to take her on a tender to shore where she hoped to find a place to hide. But her passport was on the boat.
Security then turned up and told her to return to the yacht. Defeated, Mia said “I obeyed Puff’s orders”.
Mia’s positive Puff posts
Under cross examination by Combs’ lawyers, Mia was confronted with a series of social media posts she made while employed by the star where she praised him including as a “mentor” and “brother” and said she loved him.
“That’s the man who terrorised you?” said Combs’ lawyer Brian Steele.
Mia said the “highs were high but the lows were low” of their relationship.
She said that Instagram was not a place where you put negative news. Her friends and family saw the posts and she wanted to project a positive image. Mia also said Combs could see her social media.
“I had to support the things Puff supported,” she said claiming that was an expectation of all his staff.
She added that she was “pleaser” and “rule follower” who “wanted to do my best and make everybody happy all the time”.
On Friday afternoon, Mr Steele said to Mia: “Isn’t it true that Mr Combs never had unwanted non-consensual sex with you?”
Not so, said Mia.
“What I said in this courtroom is the truth. I have not lied to anyone at all.”
Originally published as Sean Combs trial: Trump drops Diddy pardon bombshell
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