Sean "Diddy" Combs' legal team has confirmed they've approached the Trump administration about a possible presidential pardon, following Combs' conviction last month on two charges related to prostitution. "It's my understanding that we've reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon," Attorney Nicole Westmoreland tells CNN. President Trump, however, seemed cool to the idea in a recent Newsmax interview, saying he "got along" with Combs in the past but their relationship later soured making a pardon "more difficult to do."
Trump said in the Friday interview that Combs had been "very hostile" during his campaign. Asked whether he would probably deny a pardon, Trump said, "I would say so, yeah," MSNBC reports. The White House declined to comment Tuesday on whether any clemency request is under consideration.
Combs, who remains in custody at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, was acquitted of the most serious charges—racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking—but still faces up to 20 years behind bars.
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Legal analysts expect a lower sentence, with prosecutors previously signaling a range of four to five years, though they're now hinting it could be "substantially higher." Presentencing filings won't be due until September, and sentencing is set for October 3. On Monday, a judge rejected his latest request for bail.