Diddy Cites Trump Defense In Attempt To Thwart Bid To Keep Him In Pre-Trial Detention
Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File
Sean “Diddy” Combs is borrowing from the playbook of President-elect Donald Trump in his latest attempt to secure bail, citing First Amendment protections to counter allegations he’s been trying to influence his upcoming sex-trafficking trial in May.
Combs’ defense team is pushing back against prosecutors’ claims that his jailhouse communications from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center amount to obstruction of justice, arguing that his public statements are protected by constitutional free-speech rights.
In an eight-page filing submitted Monday, Combs’ lawyers drew directly from a December appellate ruling in Trump’s election interference case, which emphasized that criminal defendants enjoy broad rights to speak out.
“Only a significant and imminent threat to the administration of criminal justice will support restricting Mr. Trump’s speech,” the filing stated.
Combs’ attorneys argued that the same standard should apply to their client.
“Mr. Combs is not required to sit idly by and acquiesce to all of this,” the argument continued, claiming a months-long campaign of “false and outrageous claims” has irreparably damaged his reputation. The defense stressed that Combs, like Trump, has the right to criticize the prosecution and defend himself publicly.
Prosecutors, however, weren’t swayed, accusing Combs of exploiting the Trump precedent in bad faith. They argued Monday that his jailhouse conduct — including using banned apps like ContactMeASAP and other inmates’ accounts to arrange Instagram posts and coordinate PR efforts — goes far beyond mere speech.
“These efforts are not protected by the First Amendment,” prosecutors replied, noting that in one message from prison Combs told a contact: “I just need one [juror].”
Prosecutors dismissed the Trump comparison, emphasizing that the former president’s First Amendment protections were weighed against the unique public interest in his political candidacy.
“Those same First Amendment interests are not at stake here,” prosecutors wrote.
New York District Judge Arun Subramanian, who is weighing Combs’ third request for bail, is expected to rule this week.
