Sean “Diddy” Combs spoke out in court for the first time since his sex trafficking trial officially began on May 12.
As both the prosecution and defence rested their cases on Tuesday, June 24, Judge Arun Subramanian asked Combs a crucial question: will he testify? The question is commonplace in every U.S. criminal trial, and the defendant must confirm that their decision was made out of their own free will.
“That is my decision, Your Honour. That is solely my decision. I mean, it’s my decision with my lawyers… Yes, my decision, I’m making it,” the Bad Boy Records founder confirmed, per CNN.
Later, Subramanian asked Combs how he was feeling.
“I’m doing great, Your Honour,” he responded, before adding, “I’ve been wanting to tell you thank you, you’re doing an excellent job.”
People magazine reports that the unexpected compliment made the judge chuckle.
For six weeks, Combs sat in silence as the government called 34 witnesses against him, including his ex-girlfriend Cassie, rapper Kid Cudi, and Dawn Richard.
People previously reported that Combs’ legal team doesn’t plan to call any witnesses.
Furthermore, former federal prosecutor Mark D. Chutkow told the outlet, “It would be a big gamble for Diddy to take the stand.”
“Even though the prosecution has introduced a mountain of evidence… [they’d] be able to pile on even more evidence of bad acts during cross-examination,” Chutkow explained.
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