Diddy encounters another major obstacle in his ongoing legal battles as a judge has reportedly denied his motion to investigate whether prosecutors leaked the infamous Cassie assault video to the media.
On Monday, Judge Arun Subramanian ruled against Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ claims, stating there was no evidence to support allegations of “government leaks of case information.” The judge clarified, “As to the Intercontinental Hotel video, Combs has not carried his burden to show that the government leaked it to CNN.” He further explained, “Combs argues that ‘the most likely source of the leak is the government,’ but he offers no sound basis for this assertion.”
Subramanian highlighted that prosecutors had provided “compelling evidence” indicating that CNN’s source was not linked to the government. “Nothing in CNN’s presentation of the video even hinted that the source was a government agent,” the judge emphasized. “The court reminds the public that whether the government can prove Combs’ guilt will depend on evidence presented at trial—not on a trial by media.”
Defense Team Alleges Media Manipulation
In the October trial, Diddy’s legal team accused prosecutors of orchestrating media leaks to influence public opinion, specifically pointing to the release of the hotel video depicting an alleged altercation with Cassie.
Diddy alleged that these leaks were a deliberate effort by the Department of Homeland Security to damage his reputation and derail his defense. Legal documents filed by his team claimed, “The videotape was leaked to CNN for one reason alone: to mortally wound the reputation and the prospect of Sean Combs successfully defending himself against these allegations.”
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The defense also requested the court to impose restrictions, demanding that government attorneys and agents be barred from leaking any additional information to the press.
Potential Impact on the Case
If the judge had ruled in Diddy’s favor, critical evidence could have been excluded from the trial, potentially leading to a dismissal of charges against the embattled music mogul.
Currently detained at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, Diddy is expected to remain incarcerated until his trial, which is scheduled for May.
