Updated
Updated · The Independent · Jul 3
Trump Weighs 2 Celebrity Pardons as White House Eyes 250 Clemency Grants
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Jul 3

Trump Weighs 2 Celebrity Pardons as White House Eyes 250 Clemency Grants

3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Jul 3

Summary

  • Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Pras Michel are under reported White House clemency review, with Trump considering a pardon for Combs and some form of reprieve for Michel.
  • The discussions are tied to a broader reported “250 pardons for 250 years” push for Independence Day, expanding beyond the Clean Air Act cases Trump highlighted earlier Friday.
  • Both men are already imprisoned and appealing their convictions—Combs on prostitution-related federal crimes in New Jersey, Michel on foreign lobbying-related violations.
  • Trump publicly denied in January that he was considering Combs after saying the rapper had written seeking a pardon, even as his administration has repeatedly used clemency for allies, celebrities and other high-profile defendants.

Insights

Could Sean Combs follow boxer Jack Johnson in receiving a pardon for a conviction under the controversial Mann Act?
As Combs appeals his sentence, could a presidential pardon override the federal court's difficult and impending legal ruling?