Sean “Diddy” Combs is making serious accusations against the U.S. government, claiming they leaked a damaging video from 2016 that shows him assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. The footage, which was revealed by CNN in May, has caused a public outcry and has significantly impacted Diddy’s reputation.
In a recent court filing, Diddy’s lawyers, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, argue that agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were responsible for the leak. They allege that for seven months before Diddy’s indictment on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, the government undermined him in various ways. His legal team is asking a federal judge to investigate this alleged misconduct.
“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,” they wrote.
The video in question shows Diddy attacking Ventura in a hotel hallway at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. Cassie Ventura sued Diddy in November, but they settled the next day. The accusations against him claim he used his record label, Bad Boy Records, as a “criminal enterprise” for over a decade, during which he allegedly abused women and intimidated witnesses to cover up his actions.
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him and is currently in jail while his lawyers work to secure his release before his upcoming trial. They are careful to place the blame for the leaks on the DHS and not on the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In their filing, Diddy’s lawyers also allege that federal authorities provided false information to news outlets and illegally shared grand jury details, including the controversial video. They criticized the DHS for conducting a public raid on Diddy’s homes, which involved handcuffing two of his sons in front of the media.
Agnifilo and Geragos are requesting an evidentiary hearing to address these serious allegations and to prevent any further information from being leaked to the press. They are also calling for the court to consider suppressing evidence, including the 2016 video, or even dismissing the entire case based on these claims.
