Why is Diddy blaming the Department of Homeland Security? Mogul's lawyers' claim about 2016 Cassie assault video explained

Rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and his counsel reportedly blame the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for "orchestrat(ing)" the leak of Cassie's 2016 assault video to CNN. Per a Wednesday, October 9, 2024, report by Page Six, quoting legal documents filed by his attorney, a government agent allegedly released the video with the intent to:

"Mortally wound the reputation and the prospect of Sean Combs successfully defending himself against these allegations."

For the unversed, in May 2024, CNN released 2016 surveillance footage from a Los Angeles hotel lobby (InterContinental Hotel in Century City). It showed the rapper kicking and dragging his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.

As part of an ongoing s*x trafficking investigation, federal Homeland Security agents raided Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and his Miami waterfront home in March of this year. The probe also expanded to include potential witness intimidation, s*xual assault, and firearms violations, according to the New York Post.

On September 16, officers arrested Diddy on charges of racketeering, s*x trafficking, and transportation to engage in pr*stitution charges. The rapper's indictment claimed that he ran a "criminal enterprise" that s*xually and physically abused "women and others" for years and suppressed evidence.

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Diddy's lawyers named the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) twice in the new legal documents

According to Page Six, Diddy's lawyers, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, alleged that the government already knew they had a "deplorable video recording" but "misused it." The publication, quoting legal documents, 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."

The CCTV footage corroborated claims made in Cassie's lawsuit filed in November 2023 accusing the rapper of r*pe and domestic abuse. While the pair settled a day later, several others sued the music mogul over similar allegations. Diddy initially denied all claims, but following the backlash he garnered after the video, the rapper released an apology on social media in a now-deleted video.

The slew of lawsuits prompted a federal s*x trafficking investigation against him, which saw his properties in Los Angeles and Miami being raided. Per Combs' indictment, they seized several AR-15 rifles, large-capacity magazines, and over 1000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.

Per Page Six, the legal documents twice called out the DHS, once while suggesting that the raids were done "to garner sensational media coverage," and the second time noting that several DHS agents often made "inflammatory" remarks about Diddy to the press.

Quoting the documents, the publication wrote:

"The government’s scheme to undermine Mr. Combs’ rights to a fair proceeding has several methods and means. First, there has been a steady stream of false and prejudicial statements made by DHS agents to various press outlets over the last seven months. Second, the agents engaged in a particularly brutal and public search of Mr. Combs’ homes, during which they handcuffed Mr. Combs’ innocent sons and then marched them before a news helicopter and the press."

Combs' counsel alleged that this was done to show that they have "overwhelming evidence" against the Bad Boy Entertainment founder, which justifies their "public and brutal treatment (of Diddy and his children)."

The attorneys are requesting that the video be suppressed, if the court finds evidence that a government agent was behind the leak to ensure their client gets a "fair trial."

Diddy has since denied all allegations levied in the indictment. He is currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being denied bail twice. The rapper's pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Thursday at a Manhattan court.