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Prosecutors have denied claims made by Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyers that government agents leaked the infamous video of Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
The video, dating back to 2016, was exclusively obtained and released by CNN in May 2024. The clip featured Combs dragging Ventura through a hotel lobby while she presumably tried to leave the Intercontinental Hotel in California. The rapper also appeared to kick and physically assault her in front of the lift. On October 9, Combs' lawyers accused the government of allegedly leaking the video featuring Combs and Ventura.
“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," Diddy's lawyers claimed.
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As per BBC, in a motion filed on Wednesday, October 30, in the Manhattan federal court, prosecutors denied the claims made by Combs' lawyers. They claimed that they couldn't leak the video of Combs striking Ventura to CNN as they did not have it at that time in May.
Prosecutors further claimed that Diddy's lawyers were aware of that but used the leak accusations to prevent the jury from seeing a crucial piece of evidence against Combs.
“Without any factual basis, the leak motion seeks to suppress highly probative evidence by claiming that it was grand jury material leaked by government agents. But, as the defendant is fully aware, the video was not in the Government’s possession at the time of CNN’s publication and the Government has never, at any point, obtained the video through grand jury process.”
Wednesday's filing also refused to reveal the names of Combs' alleged s*xual assault victims. The rapper's attorneys had demanded the government release the names of these alleged victims, claiming that they could not defend the rapper in court without the knowledge.
However, the government has argued in Wednesday's filing "poses serious risks" to the safety of the alleged victims. They also cited Combs' alleged "history of violence and obstruction" which was also cited as the reason for denying him bail in September.
Diddy's prosecutors allege that government agents are impeding the media mogul's right to a fair trial
Diddy's lawyers demanded an investigation to find out whether the federal authorities were allegedly leaking evidence against the rapper to sway public and jury opinion. This includes the infamous Cassie Ventura video that was released by CNN in May 2024.
In a court filing dated October 9, Diddy's attorney Marc Agnifilo stated that “a series of unlawful government leaks" have stained the reputation of his client and have led to damaging pre-trial publicity that can allegedly sway public and jury's opinion and deprive him of a fair trial.
Agnifilo especially cited the example of the video leaked by CNN, referring to it as the "most egregious example" but alleging that it is just one of the many leaks that have been executed with the alleged purpose of tarnishing Diddy's reputation ahead of his trial, as reported by BBC.
“While the government’s misconduct in this case is particularly egregious, it is unfortunately part of a trend in this district — the government has learned that it can strategically leak information with impunity,” wrote Agnifilo in the court filing on October 9.
Elaborating more on the leaked video by CNN, Agnifilo wrote:
“Rather than using the videotape as trial evidence, alongside other evidence that gives it context and meaning, the agents misused it in the most prejudicial and damaging way possible. The government knew what it had: a frankly deplorable video recording of Sean Combs in a towel hitting, kicking and dragging a woman in full view of a camera in the hallway of the hotel,” wrote Agnifilo.
Finally, the filing asked the judge to issue a gag order to prevent the spread of the alleged leaks and to stop prosecutors from citing the leaked evidence during the rapper's trial. It also demanded a separate hearing to address the allegations and to allow Diddy's lawyers to seek out evidence of the leaks from law enforcement and prosecutors.
Diddy is currently incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he awaits his trial which is scheduled for May 5, 2025, according to ABC News.
