U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, who has been sentenced to more than four years in prison, asked him for a presidential pardon.
While speaking with CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins about a possible pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, Trump mentioned that many people have requested clemency from him — including Combs.
In August, one of Combs’ defense team members told CNN that they had reached out to Trump’s administration to explore a possible pardon.
“We have contacted and held discussions regarding a pardon,” Combs’ attorney Nicole Westmoreland told CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister at the time.
Trump, in a previous interview with Newsmax, had hinted that he was unlikely to pardon the rapper.
“I used to hang out with him — we got along very well, and he seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him that well. But when I ran for president, he became very hostile,” Trump said.
He added that Combs’ attitude made the decision about a potential pardon “difficult.”
When contacted by CNN in August regarding Westmoreland’s remarks, a White House official said they “would not comment on whether or not a request for a presidential pardon exists.”
Meanwhile, Combs’ lawyers have requested Judge Arun Subramanian, who sentenced the rapper last Friday, to recommend that the Bureau of Prisons place him in a low-security facility in Fort Dix, New Jersey. They argued this would allow Combs to address his substance abuse issues, increase family visit opportunities, and focus on rehabilitation efforts.
