WASHINGTON — On Monday, President Donald Trump acknowledged that Sean “Diddy” Combs had sought a pardon in relation to his sex crimes case, ahead of the hip-hop icon’s sentencing. 

In a conversation with CNN, Trump remarked, “Many individuals have approached me for pardons. I know him as Puff Daddy, and he has requested a pardon.” Puff Daddy was Diddy’s early stage moniker during his initial foray into music. 

Combs faced a sentence of over four years in federal jail following his conviction on two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution. This sentencing marked the conclusion of a protracted legal battle for Combs, who was taken into custody in 2024 amid allegations of numerous sex-related offenses. 

According to CNN, Combs’ defense team had reached out to the Trump administration about a possible pardon earlier this year. 

Attorney Nicole Westmoreland mentioned to CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister in August, “To my knowledge, there have been discussions regarding a potential pardon.”

It’s unclear if Trump is still considering Combs’ application for clemency. 

Combs joins a long list of convicts appealing directly to Trump’s office, aiming to capitalize on the president’s remarkable propensity to grant pardons in high-profile cases. 

The Republican president has pardoned and commuted the sentences of more than 1,600 people, including many political allies, former GOP officeholders and hundreds charged or convicted in the 2021 Capitol riot. He even pardoned a pair of reality TV stars who were serving time for bank fraud and tax evasion.

In doing so, Trump has largely cast aside a process that historically has been overseen by nonpolitical personnel at the Justice Department, who spent their days poring over clemency applications — thick packets filled with character references attesting to applicants’ atonement and good deeds. Only those meeting strict criteria were then passed along to the White House.

Those procedures appear to have been replaced by the caprice of a president known for his transactional approach to governance, his loyalty to supporters and his disdain for perceived enemies.

Combs, 55, was convicted in July of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters.

He was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life, but the sentence will nonetheless keep one of the biggest names in music out of the limelight and behind bars for years to come. Prosecutors had sought an 11-year sentence.

In a final word before the judge issued a sentence, Combs called his past behavior “disgusting, shameful” and “sick,” while apologizing to the people he hurt physically and mentally, as well as his children in the audience. He said his acts of domestic violence are a burden he will have to carry for the rest of his life.

Combs’ defense lawyers have argued the sexual encounters were consensual and wanted Combs freed immediately after more than a year in detention, which forced him to get sober and fueled his remorse. They played an 11-minute video in court Friday portraying Combs’ family life, career and philanthropy before his arrest.

In a letter to the judge Thursday, Combs wrote: “The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn,” promising he would never commit another crime.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.