Music executive Suge Knight has a theory that Donald Trump will pardon Diddy if he’s convicted. In an interview with Chris Cuomo for NewsNation on Wednesday, Knight claimed that Combs has “influence” that could sway the case with prosecutors or the jury. Knight is a former music bigshot who ran Death Row Records, Diddy’s Bad Boy Records competitor on the West Coast. “Puffy’s not a dummy,” he told Cuomo. “I’m sure somebody’s going to talk to one or two of those jurors, and all you need is one of them…I think he’s going to be all right.”
P Diddy has been on trial in the Manhattan Federal Court since the start of this week, having been accused of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Since Wednesday, his ex-girlfriend Cassie has been on the stand giving testimony about Diddy’s treatment of her and alleged “freak-offs”— events in which Diddy allegedly coerced people into participating in sexual acts and supplied them with illegal drugs.
But is Trump pardoning Diddy actually in the cards? Granted, sitting Presidents have the power to excuse people convicted of federal crimes. (A pardon represents legal forgiveness, terminates further punishment, and restores rights such as being able to vote or run for public office.) In his first term, Trump granted executive clemency to 237 individuals, including Alice Johnson, who had been arrested on a drug charge and whose case was brought to him by Kim Kardashian (and covered on The Kardashians).
But just because he yields the power doesn’t mean Trump will pardon the disgraced music mogul. Unlike, say, Kanye West, Trump and Diddy don’t have a well-documented public relationship. Although the two have spent time together socially over the years, Diddy isn't a Trump voter: he endorsed Joe Biden in the lead-up to the 2020 election and expressed concern over the impact the Trump presidency was having on Black people.
But Trump, like Diddy, has been at the receiving end of a whole host of sex-related accusations. Since the ‘70s, over 20 women have accused the President of rape, kissing, and groping without consent; looking under women's skirts; and walking in on naked teenage pageant contestants. (Trump has denied all of the allegations.) He’s also openly supported Andrew Tate, who’s been accused of rape and sex traffiking.
But although some of the January 5th rioters Trump pardoned at the end of his previous term had been convicted of sex-based crimes in the past, Trump hasn’t explicitly pardoned anyone for sexual assault. Pardoning Diddy would be immensely controversial, and though Trump loves a controversy, there aren’t hordes of people running to Diddy’s defense, so the move likely wouldn’t curry favour with a demographic he’s looking to tap into, a la his relationship with Kanye during his first term.
But while Suge Knight’s theory may be a reach, he has highlighted a fundamental truth: Diddy is a wealthy, powerful man, and in a country like America, power and connections hold considerable sway, even when it comes to the law.
Hopefully, in this case, Diddy won’t be above it.
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