Archive August 2, 2025

Donald Trump has been rumored to be considering offering the rapper a presidential pardon, but he acknowledged the star’s legal team had not yet requested one from the trial’s start.

Donald Trump has said he is unlikely to pardon Sean “Diddy” Combs following the music mogul’s conviction for transportation to engage in prostitution,

The former president admitted to being “seriously considering” the possibility in an interview with Newsmax on Friday. Trump did, however, ultimately say that the answer was “more likely a no.”

“Well, he was essentially, sort of, half-innocent. Trump said, “I don’t know what they did to make him feel like he’s still in jail or something.” He was congratulating himself on a victory, but I suppose it wasn’t as good as it was.

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Combs, 55, was cleared earlier this month of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges involving her ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and another named Jane. However, he was found guilty of violating the Mann Act by being found guilty on two federal prostitution-related charges and is currently facing up to 10 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for October 3.

Trump recalls having a friendly rapport with Combs in the past as they were both prominent figures in New York. But he claimed that their relationship soured after Trump entered politics, pointing to Combs’ vocal support of Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race.

Trump told interviewer Rob Finnerty, “When I ran for office, he was very hostile.” He made some depressing statements, so I’m not sure, because that makes things harder to do. Trump responded, “I’d say so,” when asked whether a pardon was off the table.

Behind the scenes, sources previously indicated that the idea of a pardon had moved beyond idle talk and was being taken seriously by the Trump team. One insider told Deadline it had progressed from “just another Trump weave to an actionable event”.

Combs’ legal team has already filed for either an acquittal or a retrial. In a strongly worded motion, his lawyers argued that his conviction under the Mann Act was unprecedented and should be overturned.

This decision is untrue, I believe. They argued that the conviction, which was based on an improperly applied, overbroad statute, should not stand. They also claimed that no sexual activity was suspected by anyone involved in the so-called “Freak-Offs” and that no sexual activity was occurring during the “Freak-Offs.”

They added that Combs’ activities were similar to those of producing amateur adult movies for private viewing, and that the First Amendment protected his rights.

The motion continued, “The men were paid for their time.” They engaged in the activities and made friends with Ms. Ventura and Jane, and they didn’t just travel to get rich from sex for money.

Combs’ attorneys argue that a retrial should be ordered because “severe spillover prejudice” could result from the inclusion of inflammatory evidence, including surveillance footage from a 2016 incident showing Combs physically assaulting Ventura. Combs is still being held in a Brooklyn jail.

When his father stabbed him during an appearance on a chat show, Anton Du Beke admitted he never told anyone the truth about how he got his injuries. He has since admitted to doing so.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke once opened up about a traumatic incident from his childhood, revealing that he was once stabbed by his father during a violent altercation.

The 57-year-old dancer and television personality spoke about the Boxing Day fight at his family home in Kent which left him hospitalised for several days during an appearance on Kate Garraway’s Life Stories.

He told previously told GMB star Kate: “I got stabbed in the leg and in the stomach because of a fight on Boxing Day and it was an idiotic situation. I remember walking out of the house to walk up to the hospital holding my leg and a police car drove past and I waved them down and I said ‘he’s in there with a knife’.”It comes after Jeremy Vine reveals what will happen if Joey Barton fails to pay staggering legal bill.

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He continued, “Anyway, they carted him off, and I ended up in a hospital for three or four days.” The embarrassment of it, returning to the studio, dancing, and all that was left for me.

Du Beke, who was the son of Tony Beke, had a Spanish mother and an Hungarian father growing up on a council estate in Sevenoaks. He explained that as he struggled with alcoholism, his relationship with his father strained, and Anton became the target of his father’s hostility.

He said, “You have an alcoholic father and he drinks and gets into fights and stuff.” You would move the room to avoid it all together, and then he would follow you inside, and soon after that, the violence would start and I would end up in a three-day hospital bed.

Du Beke told people he “pulled a hamstring” to conceal his injuries for many years, keeping the ordeal a secret from his family and friends. He continued, “I’m a forward looker.” Instead of looking back, I prefer to look forward. I find it hard to believe I’m speaking with you about this. I should have avoided this.

Garraway noted that Du Beke’s father was ultimately found not guilty of inflicting harm on his son in court. Du Beke said: “Everything was about moving forward. When his father passed away, Du Beke chose not to go to the funeral.” I had a bad feeling for my mother because she has two jobs and he chose to drink and be violent. You carry on with life, you know that.

Du Beke made the decision to reinvent himself after the challenging incident. He stated, “I wanted a new beginning, a new beginning, and I wanted to leave behind what had already transpired.” I merely desired to be myself.

Du Beke was the longest-serving professional on Strictly Come Dancing before becoming a judge in 2021. Over the years, he has partnered with celebrities including Emma Barton, Ann Widdecombe, and Jacqui Smith.

The Strictly star continued, saying that his difficult past never gave rise to his desire to succeed. Not because of that, I had the desire to do what I did. I detest “woe is me.”