(NewsNation) — Reports that President Trump may pardon Sean “Diddy” Combs have picked up steam, although the White House isn’t talking. Still, defense attorney Mark Geragos says the idea that the jailed music mogul could catch a break isn’t far-fetched, given his acquittal on the most serious charges against him.
“It’s something that a president should use,” Geragos, speaking of pardon power, told “Banfield” on Thursday. “If they think someone’s been treated unfairly, they should do it.”
Combs, 55, is asking to be released on bail as he awaits sentencing in October for his conviction on Mann Act prostitution charges. On July 2, a jury found Diddy not guilty of racketeering and sex-trafficking charges, in a major blow to federal prosecutors who accused him of using his business empire to coerce women into sex with male prostitutes.
TMZ and Deadline are among the media outlets reporting that the White House is seriously entertaining the notion of pardoning Diddy. Trump himself addressed the topic in June, during Diddy’s trial in New York. The president said the two once were friends, but Diddy dropped him after Trump got into politics.
“I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody is mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me,” he said.
Meantime, Diddy’s legal team this week asked a judge to set aside the star’s prostitution-related conviction or grant him a new trial. They argue, in part, the Mann Act of 1910 — prohibiting the transport of prostitutes over state lines — historically has been used to punish minorities.
Geragos, whose daughter, Teny Geragos, is on Diddy’s defense team, supports their conclusions.
“They detail the fact that it was the White Slavery Act, that it’s been used against prominent Blacks over the last hundred years, and I think they make a very compelling argument,” he said.
One observer who rejects the idea of a potential presidential pardon for Diddy is conservative journalist and commentator Megyn Kelly. The former Fox News anchor took to X this week to say Diddy “doesn’t deserve it. He’s a Trump hater. He’s a woman abuser.”