Diddy's defense attacks credibility of accuser as Trump ponders pardon

New York, New York - The defense for Sean "Diddy" Combs on Friday used upbeat social media posts to attack the credibility of one of the women accusing the music mogul of sexual assault during his federal trial in New York.

Sean "Diddy" Combs' defense lawyer questioned the credibility of a former assistant accusing him of sexual assault.
Sean "Diddy" Combs' defense lawyer questioned the credibility of a former assistant accusing him of sexual assault.  © REUTERS

"Isn't it true that Mr Combs never had unwanted nonconsensual forcible contact with you?" lawyer Brian Steel said to a former Bad Boys Records assistant testifying under the pseudonym Mia, during questioning that included displays of her personal social media posts.

The testimony came as President Donald Trump pondered aloud if he would offer 55-year-old Combs a pardon during a press conference at the White House Friday, saying: "I don't know, I would certainly look at the facts."

The facts are still unfolding in a trial that is expected to last into summer, in a case that revolves around Combs's relationship with his former girlfriend, singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura. The disgraced rapper faces racketeering and sex trafficking charges that could land him in prison for life.

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Earlier in the trial Ventura detailed years of alleged abuse and coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons with male prostitutes known as "freak-offs."

This week, Mia described how her job between 2009 and 2017 became a nightmare as she worked to protect Ventura from Combs's fits of rage, or care for her after the attacks, tending to "busted lips," "bruises," and "a black eye."

Combs would tell Mia to "go take care of her," adding that "we were not allowed" to go out until her injuries healed enough to conceal, Mia testified Thursday.

She also testified that she personally endured abuses, including rapes, while working for Combs, recounting the painful and traumatic episodes with her head bowed.

Accuser explains positive social media posts

Diddy's New York trial is expected to last throughout the summer as he faces devastating racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
Diddy's New York trial is expected to last throughout the summer as he faces devastating racketeering and sex trafficking charges.  © Adam Gray / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

During cross-examination on Friday, Steel confronted Mia with her social media posts, where she presented a much more positive image of her relationship with her boss.

On a courtroom screen displaying Mia's Instagram posts, she called Combs "an extraordinary cultural phenomenon" and shared affectionate messages on his birthdays.

Steel asked how she could publish such posts about a man she now accuses of sexual assault.

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"Of course you post the great times," Mia said. "Instagram is a place to show how great your life was even if it's not true."

After Mia read her posts aloud, Steel questioned Mia's allegations, to which she replied twice "everything I said in this courtroom is true."

"Ask any abuse victim's advocate and they could explain it to you much better than I could."

On Thursday, Mia testified that Combs subjected her to "sporadic" instances of sexual violence, including at the artist's 40th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel in New York and his private residence in Los Angeles.

"I just froze, I didn't react, terrified and confused," Mia said about one of the assaults. "He was the boss or the king, very powerful person."

Cover photo: REUTERS

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