No presidential pardon: Trump denies pardon for Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Combs, 56, was convicted in July last year on two counts of transporting people across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. A jury acquitted him, however, of the more serious charges he faced, including sex trafficking and racketeering, significantly reducing his criminal exposure.
Music producer Sean 'Diddy' Combs poses for the cameras at a music awards ceremony (File).
President Donald Trump stated that he will not grant a pardon to hip-hop star Sean Diddy Combs, who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence for prostitution-related offenses, despite having formally requested a presidential pardon.
In an interview with The New York Times, Trump revealed that Combs sent him a letter requesting clemency, but made it clear that he is not willing to grant it. "I don't plan to," the president noted when asked about the case.
Combs, 56, was convicted in July last year on two counts of transporting people across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. A jury acquitted him, however, of the more serious charges he faced, including sex trafficking and organized crime, significantly reducing his criminal exposure.
Maduro, Bankman-Fried and Menendez are also out
During the same interview, Trump ruled out granting pardons to other high-profile figures. When asked about deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, recently captured by U.S. forces and accused of drug trafficking, the president was blunt: "No, I don't see it."
Trump also denied any intention to pardon former cryptocurrency tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence, as well as former Democratic senator Robert Menendez, sentenced to 11 years for accepting bribes.
The president also stated that he has not considered the case of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd in 2020. "I haven't been asked about that," he replied.
A history of selective pardons
Since then, Trump has granted clemencies to other political allies. In November, he pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was serving a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking offenses.
The rejection of Combs' request marks, however, a clear limit on the president's pardon policy, particularly in the face of public figures convicted of federal crimes, and reinforces the signal that not all requests, even those from celebrities, will receive favorable treatment.
LATEST
