Trump Confirms Diddy Sought Pardon, Says He Won't Grant It
President Donald Trump told the New York Times that Sean 'Diddy' Combs wrote him a letter requesting a pardon for his 50-month sentence, but Trump said he is not considering clemency.
Overview
President Trump told the New York Times that Sean 'Diddy' Combs personally wrote to him requesting a pardon for his conviction and 50-month sentence.
Trump said the request came via letter but did not produce it for reporters; he confirmed he is not considering granting the pardon.
Combs was convicted in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and sentenced in October to 50 months and fines, while acquitted of sex-trafficking and racketeering.
Reports say Combs' team had sought White House help and considered lobbying and payments to intermediaries to pursue clemency.
Trump has previously suggested relationships soured after Combs criticized him, and indicated he won't consider pardons for other high-profile figures mentioned in the NYT interview.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as another example of Trump’s inconsistency and grievance-driven politics, using evaluative verbs ('spilled,' 'quipped') and snarky openings ('Everyone knows Donald Trump changes his mind on a dime'). They foreground critical context (Comey connection, celebrity outrage) while largely excluding Combs’ direct perspective, which appears only as source content.
Sources (4)
FAQ
Sean “Diddy” Combs was convicted on two federal counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act, involving flying girlfriends and paid sex workers across state lines for illegal sexual activity; he was acquitted of separate sex‑trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges.
In the New York Times interview, President Trump acknowledged receiving Diddy’s letter requesting clemency but said he is not considering a pardon, citing their soured relationship after Diddy publicly criticized him and indicating he would not extend clemency to several high‑profile figures mentioned in the interview.
Diddy was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison—just over four years—along with five years of supervised release after his prison term and a $500,000 fine.
The Mann Act is a federal law that makes it a crime to transport any person across state lines for illegal sexual activity, including prostitution, and each violation can carry up to 10 years in prison and a fine.
Prosecutors and civil plaintiffs have alleged that Diddy abused, coerced, and trafficked women, organized drug‑fueled sex events, and engaged in other violent or exploitative behavior, but in this criminal trial the jury acquitted him of sex‑trafficking and racketeering conspiracy while convicting him only on the Mann Act transportation counts.
History
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