Trump Now 'Seriously Considering' Pardon For Sean Combs Ahead Of Sentencing; White House Officially Says Nothing
Nearly two months after Trump publicly entertained the notion of a Diddy pardon in an Oval Office gaggle, a comprehensive get out of jail card for Combs is being 'seriously considered,' an administration source tells Deadline.
More from Deadline
Trump Celebrity Supporters: Famous Folks In Favor Of The 47th President
Diddy Tries Again To Get A $50M Get Outta Jail Card As Sentencing & Appeal Looms; 'Sean Combs Should Not Be In Jail For This Conduct'
Donald Trump Takes On Late-Night Hosts, Again
Additionally, as several associates of the much-accused and currently incarcerated 'All About the Benjamins' performer have been pitching the White House, other insiders confirm the topic has leveled up from 'just another Trump weave to an actionable event' since Combs was found partially guilty in the his NYC sex-trafficking trial earlier this month. Of course, as a number of parties attest, this being the roller coaster of Trumpworld, any decision on a Combs pardon is in flux until POTUS actually puts his signature on paper.
RELATED:
Repeatedly denied a $50 million bond and release from Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest last September, Combs could end up spending two to three years in a federal prison upon his sentencing on October 3 by Judge Arun Subramanian. Any sentence certainly would include time already served by Combs. Even with that, and the feds seeking the maximum under sentencing guidelines, an appeal is widely expected to be launched by the 10-attorney-deep defense almost immediately after sentencing occurs.
Contacted by Deadline, Combs' defense team led by Marc Agnifilo and Teny Gerago had 'no comment' on any pardon talk for their client. While a number of individuals close to Combs both personally and professionally have been very active in seeking White House recourse for the Grammy winner, the defense team itself has had no significant participation in the process, I hear. Up on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the reply was that 'the White House will not comment on the existence or nonexistence of any clemency request,' according to an administration official.
RELATED:
With a damning verdict for the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York delivered by a federal jury on July 2 after an eight-week sex-trafficking trial, Combs escaped the most severe of the criminal charges he was facing. Even before the mixed verdict came in, Trump exclaimed on May 30 that when it came to a Diddy pardon, he 'would certainly look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don't like me.'
Once big on Trump, Combs became quite critical of him during the Republican's first term and endorsed Joe Boden in 2020. Before that, Trump and Combs had known each other for decades, with the former bluntly calling the latter a 'good friend' in 2012.
Soon after hitting stardom, the often-ostentatious Combs was a regular on the 1990s and 2000s Manhattan party and charity circuit and often came into contact with Trump, who moved in similar circles. In the Season 12 premiere of The Apprentice, Trump told a reticent ex-Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day that he thought her former boss was 'a good guy, I'm going to stick up for him.' Asserting in May of this year that 'no one has asked' for a pardon for Combs, Trump added, 'I know people are thinking about it' as the May 12-starting trial went on.
Jumping into the fray after weeks of trolling Combs, Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson vowed to stop any pardon. 'I'm gonna reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy,' the Trump-friendly rap star May 31 posted on social media.
RELATED:
Weeks later, after hearing harrowing testimony of drug-fueled 'freak off' sex sessions and violence from ex-girlfriends 'Jane' and a very pregnant Cassie Ventura, as well as ex-staffers, male escorts and law enforcement, the jury of four women and eight men only convicted Combs on the charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. Avoiding a likely life sentence, the 55-year-old Combs was declared not guilty in early July of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. The result laid bare the clear overreach and shortcomings of the Maurene Comey-led prosecutors' legal strategy, as well as the power of celebrity in American justice.
This week, Combs' defense lawyers again requested that their client be let out of his confinement. Yet again, an offer of a $50 million bond was put on the table, as were restrictions on Combs' travel and who he interacts with. Earlier this month, Judge Subramanian gave the prosecution and the defense a July 30 deadline to put together a detailed package on letting Combs out for the roughly 60 days before sentencing. It looks like that proposal will not be a joint proposal from the parties, though more documents from the defense might show up in the docket in the next 24 hours.
RELATED:
Oval Office consideration of a Combs pardon has grown in recent days, I'm told by multiple sources. The increased interest also comes as the distraction-politics-advocating POTUS faces an uprising by his MAGA base over the continued reluctance on the part of the Department of Justice to make public promised files on now-dead sex offender and former Trump pal Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has even turned on enduring ally Rupert Murdoch with a $10 billion lawsuit after the Fox News owner's Wall Street Journal published a piece on July 18 on the president and Epstein's friendship. The well-connected millionaire was indicted in 2019 on sex trafficking charges and more involving underage women. As a point of contention for some who disbelieve the official suicide conclusion, Epstein died suddenly in custody in New York before his trial could begin.
RELATED:
Not long after the Combs' verdict was announced and as the Epstein flip fallout exploded, lead prosecutor Comey — daughter of ex-FBI director and Trump foe James Comey — was brusquely fired from the SDNY after years of service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. In a July 18 statement on her exit, ex-Epstein prosecutor Comey never mentioned Trump by name, but left no doubt who she was referring to when she said: 'Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought.'
Best of Deadline
2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More
2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
28 minutes ago
- CNBC
India to maintain Russian oil imports despite Trump threats, government sources say
India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of penalties, two Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday, not wishing to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. On top of a new 25% tariff on India's exports to the U.S., Trump indicated in a Truth Social post last month that India would face additional penalties for purchases of Russian arms and oil. On Friday, Trump told reporters he had heard that India would no longer be buying oil from Russia. But the sources said there would be no immediate changes. "These are long-term oil contracts," one of the sources said. "It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight." Justifying India's oil purchases from Russia, a second source said India's imports of Russian grades had helped avoid a global surge in oil prices, which have remained subdued despite Western curbs on the Russian oil sector. Unlike Iranian and Venezuelan oil, Russian crude is not subject to direct sanctions, and India is buying it below the current price cap fixed by the European Union, the source said. The New York Times also quoted two unnamed senior Indian officials on Saturday as saying there had been no change in Indian government policy. Indian government authorities did not respond to Reuters' request for official comment on its oil purchasing intentions. However, during a regular press briefing on Friday, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has a "steady and time-tested partnership" with Russia. "On our energy sourcing requirements ... we look at what is there available in the markets, what is there on offer, and also what is the prevailing global situation or circumstances," he said. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump, who has made ending Russia's war in Ukraine a priority of his administration since returning to office this year, has expressed growing impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks. He has threatened 100% tariffs on U.S. imports from countries that buy Russian oil unless Moscow reaches a major peace deal with Ukraine. Russia is the leading supplier to India, the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, accounting for about 35% of its overall supplies. India imported about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1% from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by sources. But while the Indian government may not be deterred by Trump's threats, sources told Reuters this week that Indian state refiners stopped buying Russian oil after July discounts narrowed to their lowest since 2022 - when sanctions were first imposed on Moscow - due to lower Russian exports and steady demand. Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery Petrochemical Ltd have not sought Russian crude in the past week or so, four sources told Reuters. Nayara Energy - a refinery majority-owned by Russian entities, including oil major Rosneft, and major buyer of Russian oil - was recently sanctioned by the EU. Nayara's chief executive resigned following the sanctions, and three vessels laden with oil products from Nayara Energy have yet to discharge their cargoes, hindered by the new EU sanctions, Reuters reported last week.
an hour ago
Senate confirms former Fox News host Pirro as top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital
WASHINGTON -- The Senate has confirmed former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital, filling the post after President Donald Trump withdrew his controversial first pick, conservative activist Ed Martin Jr. Pirro, a former county prosecutor and elected judge, was confirmed 50-45. Before becoming the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia in May, she co-hosted the Fox News show 'The Five' on weekday evenings, where she frequently interviewed Trump. Trump yanked Martin's nomination after a key Republican senator said he could not support him due to Martin's outspoken support for rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Martin now serves as the Justice Department's pardon attorney. In 2021, voting technology company Smartmatic USA sued Fox News, Pirro and others for spreading false claims that the company helped 'steal' the 2020 presidential election from Trump. The company's libel suit, filed in a New York state court, sought $2.7 billion from the defendants. Last month, Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to send Pirro's nomination to the Senate floor after Democrats walked out to protest Emil Bove's nomination to become a federal appeals court judge. Pirro, a 1975 graduate of Albany Law School, has significantly more courtroom experience than Martin, who had never served as a prosecutor or tried a case before taking office in January. She was elected as a judge in New York's Westchester County Court in 1990 before serving three terms as the county's elected district attorney. In the final minutes of his first term as president, Trump issued a pardon to Pirro's ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who was convicted in 2000 on conspiracy and tax evasion charges.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Sydney Sweeney's voter registration revealed amid American Eagle's ‘good jeans' ad backlash
Her jeans are red. Actress Sydney Sweeney's voter registration has come to light amid the woke backlash surrounding her controversial American Eagle denim campaign. The 27-year-old 'Euphoria' actress has been registered with the Republican Party of Florida in Monroe County since June 2024, according to public voter records viewed by The Post. 4 Sydney Sweeney in American Eagle jeans. American Eagle The starlet's party affiliation was first reported by Buzzfeed News Saturday, after a viral post on X that read: 'was about to make a whole youtube video exploring sydney sweeney's choices not defending her but going through her career context and i just found out this lady is an actual registered member of the republican party as of 2024.' 4 The 'White Lotus' starlet is a registered Republican voter in Florida. Getty Images for Armani beauty The post was part of a fierce firestorm ignited by lefty critics over the provocative ad featuring the blonde-haired, blue-eyed 'White Lotus' starlet — with some even comparing it to 'Nazi propaganda' that's promoting racism and eugenics. In one video released as part of the marketing campaign, Sweeney explains that genes are passed down from parents to offspring 'often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,' before proclaiming, 'my jeans are blue.' A narrator then chimes in, 'Sydney Sweeney, has great jeans.' 4 Illustration of the Republican and Democratic party logos. eMIL' – In another ad, the actress approaches a billboard with her likeness and the phrase, 'Sydney Sweeney has great genes,' which she alters to cross out 'genes' and write 'jeans.' American Eagle shot back at critics Friday, defending its denim campaign and the 'Anyone But You' star. ''Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,' the company said in a statement. 'Her jeans. Her story.' 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way,' the statement said. 'Great jeans look good on everyone.' 4 The ad sparked debate over 'Nazi propaganda,' racism and eugenics. American Eagle Even the White House jumped into the fray, with President Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, coming to Sweeney's defense in a post late Tuesday that called the left-wing blowback 'cancel culture run amok.' While Sweeney herself has yet to respond to the public reaction, this is now the second time the Emmy nominee has ruffled feathers in liberal circles. Sweeney faced sharp criticism in 2022 after her family threw a 60th birthday party for her mother, where revelers wore red caps that played on the MAGA slogan – 'Make Sixty Great Again' — and 'Blue Lives Matter' shirts. She said at the time the family hoedown was misinterpreted as an 'absurd' political statement. Sweeney's reps didn't immediately return requests for comment.
