In the ongoing case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, his legal team has filed a motion for an evidentiary hearing earlier today that accuses the government of orchestrating a smear campaign by colluding with the media to undermine a fair trial.
According to the memorandum, reviewed by Variety, counsel for Combs claims that there have been numerous attempts in the “government’s scheme” to undermine his right to a fair trial. In the detailed document, they ask that appropriate remedies — including the potential disqualification of witnesses or dismissal of all charges in his indictment — be considered.
In the memorandum, they point to four different tactics of government misconduct, with the most egregious being the the CNN leak of Combs allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. His lawyers state that neither Ventura or a third party were likely sources of the leak, as Ventura would have described it more in detail in her sexual assault lawsuit and a third party would have tried to sell it. Thus, they point to the government as the most viable culprit given the timing of the tape’s release.
They state that federal agents must have known in advance that there would be a break in Donald Trump’s hush money trial for the former president to attend his son Barron Trump’s graduation and that the timing of May 17 was “a perfect time, as it was a slow news day.” After CNN broke the video, counsel claims that the government took no further action, and is asking for an evidentiary hearing to determine if an agent provided the tape to CNN.
Furthermore, the defense claims that the searches on Combs’ Los Angeles and Florida residences in March were purposely done in broad daylight to maximize media exposure. They assert that the media was present at the start of the Los Angeles search, “before the crime scene tape was put up,” suggesting that the DHS alerted the media in advance. Combs’ lawyers point out that the government used excessive force against his children during the raids, and perp-walked them to a visible area on the property for the media to witness.
Counsel points to various leaks over the past seven months and anonymous Department of Homeland Security statements given to the press as concrete examples of trying to “savage Mr. Combs’ reputation prior to trial.” They’re asking for an investigation into the misconduct, disclosure of relevant discovery, forbiddance of government officials leaking further information and other remedies, which could include “disqualification of witnesses, suppression of evidence including the 2016 video, or dismissal of all charges in the indictment.”
This marks the latest in Combs’ federal case in which he has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transporting for prostitution. Yesterday, his team filed a third appeal for him to be released from jail pretrial, and earlier today, his counsel asked for the trial to take place in either April or May 2025. Combs currently remains in federal custody, and tomorrow, he’s scheduled to appear before a new judge in the case for a status conference.
