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Sean "Diddy" Combs' lead attorney is pushing back against claims that the rapper's legal team has contacted Donald Trump to request a presidential pardon, denying knowledge of any such effort despite another lawyer's public remarks.
Combs, 55, was convicted last month on two counts of transportation for prostitution but avoided convictions on more serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering. Since then, his legal team has repeatedly been denied bail requests while preparing for sentencing later this year.
Earlier this week, attorney Nicole Westmoreland told CNN that Combs' team "had conversations in reference to a pardon," saying it was part of their legal strategy post-verdict. But in a televised interview Thursday, lead attorney Marc Agnifilo flatly contradicted that.
"I've had conversations with nobody," Agnifilo told CBS Mornings. "I haven't spoken to the president. I haven't spoken to anyone who speaks to the president about Sean Combs. I have not."
Pressed further, Agnifilo said the only reference to a pardon came from Combs himself. "He said, 'Go tell him I need a pardon. Go tell him I deserve a pardon.' That's what he said." Agnifilo said that brief exchange was the extent of it, and that no formal outreach had come from his direction.
Still, the matter appears to have reached Trump. Last week, the former president told Newsmax he was "on the fence" about granting a pardon, acknowledging prior friendship with Combs but noting the rapper had been "very hostile" toward him once Trump ran for office.
"They've talked to me about Sean," Trump admitted. "But I'd say I'm more likely a 'no.'"
Combs has remained in custody at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest last fall. Though acquitted of the most serious charges, prosecutors have suggested his sentence could exceed the initial 4-to-5-year guideline.
Despite the conflicting reports about a pardon, Combs' defense team says he remains focused on clearing his name and planning a comeback — including a rumored concert at Madison Square Garden if released.
The White House has declined to confirm whether a clemency request has been formally received.
