President Donald Trump has confirmed that hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs asked him for a presidential pardon but said he does not intend to grant clemency.
Combs, 56, is serving a roughly four-year federal prison sentence for prostitution-related convictions, after a jury found him guilty last year of transporting individuals for prostitution.
In an interview with The New York Times, Trump said the music executive sent him a letter requesting a pardon but, when pressed, did not produce the letter or indicate any willingness to act on it.
Asked about pleas for clemency for other high-profile figures, Trump also dismissed the idea of pardoning deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by U.S. forces and is facing drug-trafficking charges.
The president’s remarks make clear that despite the formal request, Combs—once a towering figure in hip-hop and business—is unlikely to see his sentence reduced or overturned by executive action.
