Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, says he has “no idea” whether rumors about President Donald Trump issuing a pardon are true.
Earlier this week, TMZ reported that Trump is “seriously considering” a full presidential pardon for Combs, who was convicted last month on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The disgraced rapper now faces up to 20 years in prison.
Speaking to Variety, Agnifilo distanced himself from the speculation: “I am not involved in that in the least. I have literally no idea. There are times I think there’s nothing to it, and there are times I think it’s just rumour mill stuff. But, I do not purport to know the President’s mind. I really don’t know.”
He made clear that a pardon isn’t something he’s pursuing as part of Combs’ defense. “My end of the business is very focused on the case alone – and the merit of the case and what happened in the courtroom. I don’t do anything else.”
Earlier this week, Agnifilo filed a motion to overturn Combs’ conviction, arguing that the 55-year-old—who was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering—should not have been convicted under the Mann Act.
“Sean Combs has basically been convicted for using the services of a sex worker, and that’s just not really prosecuted anymore. The Mann Act is not supposed to be applied to the user of prostitution services… It’s supposed to be used for people who make money from the business of prostitution.”
He added that the legal team conducted a deep dive into decades of Mann Act cases only after the trial concluded. “We’ve now had the time to review hundreds of Mann Act cases over several decades, and so our letter we submitted this week is based on all of that work, which hadn’t been done during the trial because there’s just no reason to do it. The trial is about guilt or innocence, not about how the Mann Act applies historically.”
Since his arrest last September, Diddy has been held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. According to Agnifilo, the music mogul is reflecting on his life and deeply missing his seven children.
“He misses his kids. He’s learned a lot. His time in jail – nearly 11 months now – has given him the ability to reflect and consider his life and look at all the blessings he’s been given: his seven children, the fact that he’s still close with the mothers of his children, the life he’s been given. His view is: ‘Have I lived up to the blessings I’ve been given?’ And I think his conclusion is: ‘Not in every aspect have I lived up to those blessings.’ What he wants to do when he gets out is to start small. He wants to spend time with his children and get reacquainted with his old life.”
Agnifilo also shared how Diddy’s confinement has affected him physically and emotionally.
“He hasn’t been outside since September. He hasn’t had sun on his skin. It’s like a sort of sensory deprivation. The light’s always the same, it’s artificial light, there’s no breeze, there’s no wind, there’s very little change in temperature. So, he wants to get out and be with his family.”
