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Sean “Diddy” Combs has filed a motion to exclude the explosive video that showed him violently attacking his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, from his upcoming federal trial.
Lawyers for Combs entered the motion on Thursday, asking the Court to exclude the video or, “in the alternative, to permit Mr. Combs to present evidence at a pre-trial hearing regarding the unreliability of the existing and available video evidence.”
The video, which CNN released in May 2024, has been a major piece of evidence for prosecutors. Last month, Combs’ attorneys claimed that the video was edited and that the original footage was destroyed, rendering it inadmissible in his trafficking and racketeering case.
In last month’s filing, Combs’ counsel alleged that CNN purchased the only known copy of the surveillance footage, uploaded it to free editing software and altered the video. They argued that CNN destroyed the footage “even though it knew about and repeatedly reported about the federal investigation.”
CNN denied the suggestion that they had altered the footage and destroyed the source material. “CNN never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage, which was retained by the source,” read the statement. “CNN aired the story about the video several months before Combs was arrested.”
After the video was made public last year, Combs issued an apology video regarding the incident. “I was fucked up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses,” he said. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in this video. They’re disgusting. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought professional help. I’ve been going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I am truly sorry.”
Ventura is expected to testify under her own name at Combs’ trial, which is currently scheduled to begin on May 5. Combs, who is incarcerated in Brooklyn on federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, was recently hit with an updated superseding indictment that added two charges to the case.
