Diddy's legal team confirms outreach to Trump administration for potential pardon

In July 2025, a federal jury in New York found Sean “Diddy” Combs guilty on two counts of transporting people to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act. His conviction came after the court acquitted him of more serious charges like racketeering and sex trafficking.

Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since September 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3, 2025. After this verdict, Combs’s attorney Nicole Westmoreland told CNN,

“It’s my understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations about a pardon”.

Seeking a presidential pardon means asking the president to forgive the crime or reduce the punishment. Combs’s team sees this as one of their last ways to avoid a lengthy prison term.

As Diddy and former President Trump moved in some of the same circles years ago, his lawyers believed there was at least a chance Trump might agree. However, the process of reviewing and granting a pardon is private and often takes many months.

Diddy’s conviction and upcoming sentencing

On July 2, 2025, after a three-day deliberation, the jury found Combs guilty of two counts under the Mann Act. This century-old law makes it illegal to transport anyone for prostitution.

Those two counts each carry a potential sentence of up to ten years in prison, although federal prosecutors have requested a combined sentence of three to five years, citing factors such as Combs’s lack of prior felony convictions. He awaits his hearing on October 3, 2025.

Diddy’s legal team reaches out for presidential clemency

Nicole Westmoreland, one of Diddy's lawyers, confirmed the outreach when speaking to CNN. She added that they provided Trump’s advisers with legal briefs outlining why Combs deserved mercy.

Combs’s team argues that his conduct involved consenting adults and that the Mann Act was never meant to cover these facts.

Former president’s response shows reluctance to grant a pardon

In public remarks, Donald Trump acknowledged hearing from Combs’s lawyers but made clear he was hesitant. Trump told reporters that a pardon for Diddy would be “more difficult to consider” given their years-old feud and Combs’s past criticisms of him during the 2020 campaign.

In an interview with Newsmax, Donald Trump said,

“I was very friendly with him, I got along with him great and he seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”

He noted that, while he once said he would “certainly look at the facts” if someone was treated unfairly, he now viewed this request through a different lens.

Possible paths forward after the pardon request

Even if Trump decides not to issue clemency, Combs' team still has other legal options. They have already filed motions asking for a new trial or acquittal, arguing that evidence like a 2016 surveillance video of an assault incident unfairly prejudiced a juror.

His lawyers also plan to press for bail. Though Judge Subramanian has twice denied release, saying the weight of evidence and risk of danger outweighed bail arguments.

In the meantime, those who advocate clemency say that presidents tend to pardon individuals of both parties and that Trump has prior experience pardoning celebrities like Kodak Black and the Chrisleys.

According to political analysts, however, a pardon of Diddy would appear controversial, considering the severity of his conviction and his public feuds with people close to Trump.

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