Sean “Diddy” Combs has reached out to President Donald Trump for a pardon, according to one of his attorneys. In an exclusive interview with CNN on Tuesday, Nicole Westmoreland, a member of Combs’ legal defense team, confirmed that discussions have taken place with the Trump administration.
“It’s my understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon,” Westmoreland stated.
Trump has indicated, however, that he is unlikely to grant a pardon to the 55-year-old Combs.
“I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great and he seemed like a nice guy,” Trump said in an interview on Friday with Newsmax. “I didn’t know him well, but when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”
Asked if that meant he was not inclined to pardon Combs, Trump said: “I would say so, yeah.”
In June, a jury found Combs guilty of two federal charges related to transporting someone for prostitution. However, he was cleared of more serious charges, including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could now face up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing set for October 3.
Prosecutors haven’t yet revealed what sentence they will request, but they’ve previously said it could be “substantially higher” than the minimum range of 51 to 63 months.
Westmoreland said Combs is staying positive, telling CNN the rapper “is a very hopeful person and I believe that he remains hopeful” about the chance of receiving clemency.