Diddy trial latest: Jurors reach verdict on four counts
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Reuters
34 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump settlement triggers 'widespread distress' at CBS News
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, July 2 (Reuters) - Paramount Global's (PARA.O), opens new tab settlement of the "60 Minutes" lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump provoked condemnation on Wednesday from CBS News current and former employees, press freedom advocates and legislators. Paramount's agreement to pay $16 million to resolve a civil suit over what Trump alleged was the network's deceptive editing of an interview with presidential candidate Kamala Harris sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the free press, journalism advocates warned. One current "60 Minutes" employee who spoke with Reuters said that during a call Wednesday, newsroom staff expressed "widespread distress" about the settlement and concerns about the future of the CBS News prime time news magazine and its hard-hitting brand of journalism. The staffer, who requested anonymity to speak publicly about his employer, said that while CBS News avoided the worst outcome in its settlement with Trump - an apology - the agreement nonetheless sets a "horrible precedent" in agreeing to make public transcripts of future interviews with presidential candidates. The settlement follows ABC News's decision in December to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit over anchor George Stephanopoulos's on-air description of the president's conduct in the E. Jean Carroll case. "With two major network owners bowing to the president in quick succession, the danger is clear: emboldened politicians and powerful actors will feel more free than ever to weaponize lawsuits and bring regulatory pressure to bear to silence and censor independent journalism," said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director at free-speech advocate PEN America. On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren called for an investigation into the settlement, which will be paid to a fund supporting Trump's future presidential library, said she will soon introduce legislation to "rein in corruption through presidential library donations." Trump filed the $10-billion lawsuit against CBS in October, alleging the network deceptively edited an interview that aired on its '60 Minutes' news program with then-vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris to 'tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party' in the election. In an amended complaint filed in February, Trump bumped his claim for damages to $20 billion. CBS aired two different versions of Harris's response to a question about the Israel-Hamas war, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas. CBS previously dismissed the lawsuit as "completely without merit" and asked a judge to dismiss the case. Steve Kroft, retired long-time "60 Minutes" correspondent called the settlement a "travesty" adding, "This is but the latest attempt by the Administration to damage the country's institutions and encroach upon the rights granted to the people under the First Amendment." Rome Hartman, one of the producers on the Harris segment who retired from CBS two weeks ago, called the settlement "a cowardly capitulation by the corporate leaders of Paramount, and a fundamental betrayal of '60 Minutes' and CBS News." Like other current and former staffers, Rome lays blame at the feet of Paramount controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, who needs Trump administration approval for its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. The Redstone family's payout for the sale of National Amusements, which holds the family's controlling stake in Paramount, will be about $1.75 billion, Reuters previously reported. "They settled in order to preserve Shari Redstone's payday," Hartman said. Paramount has said the lawsuit is "completely separate from, and unrelated to" the Skydance transaction and the pending FCC approval process. CBS News co-CEO George Cheeks told investors during Wednesday's annual shareholder meeting that Paramount opted to settle the lawsuit to avoid the "unpredictable cost" of mounting a legal defense, and the possibility of an adverse outcome that would cause reputational damage." Paramount and CBS did not provide additional comment. FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who was named chair by Trump on Jan 20, said last week the commission was continuing to review the transaction. The FCC did not make a decision by the 180-day informal deadline in mid-May. As the months-long legal standoff between Trump and Paramount dragged on, seven current and former journalists at '60 Minutes' said they have experienced heightened oversight over their work, including high-level executives sitting in on screenings, extensive review of any story touching on the Trump administration or the war in Gaza, and story lists being scrutinized at the highest level. However, no "60 Minutes" stories were blocked from airing. "60 Minutes" lost a key ally in May, insiders said, when CBS News President Wendy McMahon, who defended the news organization from meddling, resigned, saying 'it's become clear that the company and I do not agree on a path forward.' She followed '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens, who resigned in April after months of increasing oversight over the long-running newsmagazine, at the urging of Redstone, according to three people familiar with the matter. 'Today is a sad day for press freedom," said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, who said he believes Paramount would have prevailed in court. "Now Trump's presidential library will be a permanent monument to Paramount's surrender, a continual reminder of its failure to defend freedoms that are essential to our democracy.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘Let Puffy go': outside court, Sean ‘Diddy' Combs supporters hail verdict
After the jury returned a mixed verdict in the federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, supporters of the 55-year-old music mogul gathered outside the courthouse on Wednesday in celebration. Combs was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and not guilty of two counts of sex trafficking and a count of racketeering conspiracy. The verdict, delivered by a jury of eight men and four women, is seen by many legal experts as the best outcome Combs could have hoped for outside of a full acquittal. Outside the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, dozens of Combs's supporters gathered after the verdict was delivered. Many chanted his name and cheered as several members of his family exited the building following the announcement. 'Let Puffy go!' some supporters chanted, putting heir fists in the air. 'Not guilty!' others shouted. Music filled the air as supporters played Diddy Free, a track released during closing arguments on Friday by one of Combs's sons, King Combs, and Ye, formerly Kanye West, who briefly came to support Combs in court during the trial. The crowd outside the courthouse danced and celebrated, with some handing out bottles of baby oil and lathering themselves in it. Baby oil played a prominent role in this trial; many witnesses testified that Combs used copious amounts of baby oil during his drug-fueled sex marathons referred to as 'freak-offs'. Additionally, large amounts of baby oil were found at Combs's home during federal raids. By early afternoon, as the crowd outside the courthouse began to grow, the New York police department increased their presence outside the courthouse. One supporter was seen holding a Sean John T-shirt, a company created by Combs, while others wore T-shirts that read 'Freako is not a Rico'. But while Combs's supporters celebrated, organizations that support victims of sexual abuse and domestic said they were disappointed in the verdict. UltraViolet, a women's rights organization that held a demonstration last week outside of the trial in support of sexual assault survivors, said in a statement that the verdict on Wednesday was 'a decisive moment for our justice system, one which threatens to undo the sacrifice of courageous survivors who stepped forward to share their stories in this trial, as well as to all those abused by Diddy who weren't able to'. 'Today's verdict is not just a stain on a criminal justice system that for decades has failed to hold accountable abusers like Diddy, it's also an indictment of a culture in which not believing women and victims of sexual assault remains endemic,' they added. More than 50 members of the media were also gathered outside the courthouse to cover the verdict and its aftermath. The attorney for Combs's former girlfriend and the star government witness in the case – Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura – told reporters outside the courthouse that his team is pleased that Combs has 'finally been held accountable' but added that 'of course, we would have liked to have seen a conviction on the sex crimes and Rico, but we understand that 'beyond a reasonable doubt' is a high standard'. 'We're just pleased he still faces substantial jail time,' he added. Combs had pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The jury found him guilty of the transportation to engage in prostitution counts, which each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Since his arrest last September, Combs has remained incarcerated without bail in a federal detention facility in Brooklyn. He has a bail hearing that is scheduled for 5pm ET on Wednesday to determine if he will remain in custody or whether he will be released. 'I hope he gets released today!' one supporter yelled.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Why Diddy may soon be NOT GUILTY on ALL charges
Sean 'Diddy' Combs will one day walk away from his courtroom saga a free man, despite a federal conviction. That is the startling prediction, in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail, of famed former OJ Simpson defense attorney Alan Dershowitz. On Wednesday, Combs, 55, was acquitted of the most serious charges - racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking - in a seven-week trial, during which the government alleged that he was the mastermind of a sprawling criminal enterprise that used violence and intimidation in the service of his perverse sexual desires. Combs, however, was convicted on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines to engage in prostitution. Now, Alan Dershowitz, legendary civil right lawyer and a member of OJ Simpson's renowned legal 'Dream Team,' says Combs's convictions will likely be overturned on appeal. 'The charges that he's been convicted of will probably be reversed on appeal,' said Dershowitz. 'It's not a crime to transport someone across state lines for voluntary sex,' Dershowitz claimed. 'What he has been found guilty of is based on an anachronistic statute, it's not a real crime.' Combs was convicted one two counts of The Mann Act, first known as the White-Slave Traffic Act when it was passed in 1910. It is a federal law that prohibits the interstate transportation of individuals for the purpose of prostitution. Combs (pictured in a courtroom sketch) was convicted on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines to engage in prostitution. 'It's not a crime to transport someone across state lines for voluntary sex,' Dershowitz (pictured, left, with Simpson, right) claimed. 'What he has been found guilty of is based on an anachronistic statute, it's not a real crime.' Jack Johnson, the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion in American history, was convicted in 1913 under the Mann Act for transporting Belle Schreiber, a white woman, across state lines. Historians argue that while the Mann Act may have been intended to fight human trafficking, the law was often misused against individuals, particularly black men, for consensual interracial relationships. In 2018, during his first term, President Donald Trump posthumously pardoned Johnson. 'It's weak,' Dershowitz, said of the Mann Act conviction, 'and it will be reversed on appeal and Combs will walk free. This is really a big victory for him after all this.' David Gelman, a former state prosecutor, who last week in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail accurately predicted the Combs's verdict, agreed with Dershowitz's opinion on the convictions. 'It's been my experience in all the jury trials I've had that juries will try to give something to everyone,' said Gelman. 'In this particular case, there was enough evidence to give the government this rinky dink prostitution charge. It's an easy charge, and as these are the only two the prosecution won, the government did a very bad job.' Combs faces up to 20 years in prison if federal Judge Arun Subramanian hands down the most severe sentence: 10 years for each count. Gelman expects the sentences would run concurrently and said he would not be surprised if Subramanian gave Combs less than the maximum. 'These aren't serious charges - normally you could just get probation,' said Gelman. 'In federal court though, the guidelines are very different to state and the judge has a lot of leeway. Diddy has done half a year in jail so far; I don't know how much more he will get. He could give probation, and I wouldn't be surprised.' Combs was found not guilty of two counts of sex trafficking of Cassie Ventura, Combs's ex-girlfriend, (pictured, right, with Combs) and another woman only identified as Jane The sex trafficking charges related to Ventura and Jane (pictured in a courtroom sketch) were defeated because their testimony, according to Gelman, suggested 'consent.' As to the other charges, Gelman did not mince words: 'In hindsight the government has to look at themselves and see if they should have brought them in the first place.' 'The first count - the racketeering conspiracy - is really hard to prove,' he said. 'It's only really brought in mafia cases.' 'They had to prove that Diddy's company, Bad Boy Records, was a criminal enterprise and carried out criminal activity - transportation for prostitution, guns, drugs and so on - and that Diddy was the leader. That's really hard to do.' 'They didn't have any former employees testifying to that,' he added. The second charge – two counts of sex trafficking of Cassie Ventura, Combs's ex-girlfriend and another woman only identified as Jane - was defeated because their testimony, according to Gelman, suggested 'consent.' 'One of the male prostitutes said Cassie was directing him what to do and seemed to be enjoying it,' said Gelman. 'She bought plane tickets and booked hotels. She was a willing participant.' 'She testified she did it because she was afraid, but some of her actions do not correspond to that. She said after they broke up, he raped her. Then she said she had sex with him again after the fact. That doesn't mesh, in my view. Her testimony was powerful, but her credibility was lacking.'
