Attorney for Sean ‘Diddy' Combs has approached Trump administration for pardon: report
Nicole Westmoreland, a member of the convicted music mogul's defense team, told CNN Tuesday that 'conversations' had taken place with officials about the possibility of clemency.
Last month, a jury convicted Combs on two lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
'It's my understanding that we've reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon,' Westmoreland told CNN.
When asked previously, the president has seemed to consider that a pardon for the rapper may well be possible, though he noted during the trial that no one had asked him for that.
But in a Friday interview Trump also recalled previous previous remarks made by Combs, when he called for the president to be 'banished' in 2020, and, following his defeat to Joe Biden that 'the number one priority is to get Trump out of office.'
'When I ran for office, he was very hostile,' Trump said in the interview. 'It's hard, you know? We're human beings. And we don't like to have things cloud our judgment, right? But when you knew someone and you were fine, and then you run for office, and he made some terrible statements.
'So I don't know … It makes it more difficult to do.'
He added that Combs was 'essentially, I guess, sort of half-innocent… He was celebrating a victory, but I guess it wasn't as good of a victory.'
Combs had been facing up to life in prison if convicted on the most serious charges, but now faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years.
Prosecutors have not said what sentence they will pursue, though previously indicated Combs could face a minimum range of 51 to 63 months in prison and a recent filing indicated the sentence could be 'substantially higher.'
Asked about Combs' feelings over his chances of a pardon, Westmoreland told CNN that the mogul 'is a very hopeful person and I believe that he remains hopeful.'
The Independent has reached out to the White House about the possibility of a presidential pardon for Combs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
11 minutes ago
- Newsweek
California High-Speed Rail Protects $4B in Federal Funding Amid Lawsuit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California officials have reached an agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration that places $4 billion in federal grants for the state's high-speed rail project into a legal trust while a lawsuit challenging the funding cancellation moves through court. The agreement, which the California High-Speed Rail Authority confirmed to Newsweek, would set aside the funding while state authorities worked to prevent President Donald Trump's funding revocation. Why It Matters Years of delays and an inflated budget have damaged public and political faith in California's high-speed rail project, but the past few years have seen progress, with construction happening throughout the state and tracklaying set to begin later this year. Proponents of the project say that to call if off now, as many of its detractors in the White House desire, would waste years of advancement. That has not stopped Trump, a long-standing critic of the project, from regularly threatening to take away the federal funding that has been vital to the project's progress, a threat he and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy carried out in July. An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train headed north arrives at the Moorpark Train Station in Moorpark, California, on June 15, 2024. An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train headed north arrives at the Moorpark Train Station in Moorpark, California, on June 15, 2024. Getty Images What To Know The agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration places the contested $4 billion into a legal trust, which state officials said would prevent the funds from being redirected while the legal challenge proceeded. The California High-Speed Rail Authority, which does not comment on pending litigation, confirmed to Newsweek that the agreement had been reached. The authority has previously called the Trump administration's funding decision an "unwarranted and unjustified" move that was "based on an inaccurate, often outright-misleading, presentation of the evidence." The project has faced long-running delays and cost increases since voters approved it in 2008, with early estimates near $33 billion and more recent estimates ranging broadly in reporting between roughly $128 billion and $135 billion. The authority and state officials have pointed to continuing construction milestones. Officials said the project had entered or neared a tracklaying phase, with 171 miles under active construction and more than 50 major structures completed. What People Are Saying California Senator Dave Cortese, the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said in a statement on the agreement: "I'm encouraged that the California High-Speed Rail Authority has reached an agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration to prevent $4 billion in federal high-speed rail funding from being lost while litigation is pending. "These funds were terminated under the Trump Administration following a compliance review, despite no findings of fraud, waste, or abuse. The Authority promptly challenged that decision in court, and this agreement ensures that the funding will remain available until the legal process is resolved. "As Chair of the California Senate Transportation Committee, I will continue to defend our progress on high-speed rail, and efforts like my bill SB 545 will help secure opportunities for major residential and commercial development along the high-speed rail corridor, creating the kind of public-private synergy that can help fund the infrastructure of the project itself and deliver long-overdue economic benefits to communities across the state." What Happens Next The state's lawsuit challenging the federal withdrawal was filed in U.S. District Court. Initial litigation is expected to proceed in the coming months, with the trust arrangement intended to keep the grants intact until the court resolves the dispute.
Newsweek
11 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Russia Reveals Plans for Trump-Putin Alaska summit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Kremlin has confirmed the names of those who will attend the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska this Friday, August 15, among other details about the schedule. Alongside Putin will be Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defence Minister Andrey Belousov, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russia's sovereign wealth fund. The summit, to be held at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage and centred on agreeing a settlement on Ukraine, will begin at 11:30 a.m. local time, the Kremlin said, according to state-run news agency RIA. It will begin with a head-to-head meeting between Trump and Putin, the Kremlin said, leading into negotiations between the two delegations and a working breakfast. Trump and Putin will then hold a press conference after the talks. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Washington Post
11 minutes ago
- Washington Post
For Texas Democrats, fleeing to fight redistricting comes at a personal cost
When dozens of Texas Democratic lawmakers left their state this month to block a redistricting plan aimed at preserving the GOP's House majority, they knew they might be forced to pay large fines or even be arrested under the orders of Texas Republicans.
