Trump Handing Out Independence Day Pardons, Diddy Wants One

00:00:02
Speaker 1: And that folks, it is Sunday, July fifth, and it's America's big birthday. But could Ditty be the one getting the big gift from Trump?

00:00:13
Speaker 2: And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Love.

00:00:16
Speaker 1: This has been talked about, it's been rumored about. It's a little back and forth, and even the presidents brought it up at some point during his presidency. But once again we're seeing headlines robes that are tiptoeing around this idea of Diddy getting out of prison thanks to Trump.

00:00:31
Speaker 3: Yes, and thanks to Independence Day. Even it's been tied to Yes, the two hundred and fiftieth celebration of our nation. There was some notion that President Trump was considering two hundred and fifty pardons in honor of the two hundred and fiftieth.

00:00:48
Speaker 4: Anniversary idea of our country.

00:00:50
Speaker 3: So literally granting independence in the name of Independence Day celebration took. I like it as long as the recipients are deserving and truly, President Trump is the only person who actually gets to decide that in this country. So yes, the the I guess the headlines started coming out on Friday, when we know that Trump ultimately did decide to pardon eleven people on Friday leading up to Independence Day, most of whom were convicted in this emissions violations of the Clean Air Act.

00:01:28
Speaker 1: This was not above the fold type headlines. Okay, no, this didn't go around. Usually when he makes pardons, it does make headlines because somebody of note is in there. Rose, this was you said it was Friday, Yeah.

00:01:40
Speaker 4: Okay, holiday weekend. He buries this. These pardons eleven people in total.

00:01:46
Speaker 3: Again, but his claim was that they were persecuted by the Biden administration for fixing their cars.

00:01:52
Speaker 4: Fine, that's that's what he said.

00:01:54
Speaker 3: So he put this out on his truth social again on Friday, on a holiday weekend. While I know this ridiculous, it is nevertheless a fact and part of the weaponization and stupidity that our country had to endure during four long years of sleepy Joe Biden. I am setting them all free right now in caps.

00:02:13
Speaker 4: It's funny.

00:02:13
Speaker 3: It was less about the pardons, it was less about who he was pardoning, and it was more about just finding a reason to attack President former President Biden.

00:02:22
Speaker 4: That was my takeaway.

00:02:23
Speaker 1: I just can he not say anything nice about the guy? Does he really think the guy is evil? Like an actual evil person. He did no good on planet Earth, like every time he mentions the guy.

00:02:37
Speaker 3: It's just he dislikes Biden more than I think he dislikes Obama, which is training a lot.

00:02:42
Speaker 2: And why is that Robes?

00:02:44
Speaker 1: Because history will forever say that Biden handed Trump what he hates most Robes a.

00:02:53
Speaker 3: Loss, exactly, a big elm, a big heatory admit that he won't even acknowledge it for the record. So to this point, we have seen President Trump make a lot of pardons, by the way, I think he had just a few his first term.

00:03:08
Speaker 4: We'll get into all those numbers later.

00:03:10
Speaker 3: But obviously his big yet, a big whopping thousands of pardons on his first day because he wanted to make a political point. He pardoned so many of the insurrectionists in January sixth.

00:03:23
Speaker 4: His pardons have purpose.

00:03:25
Speaker 3: His pardons are either to prove a point, to take someone down like President Biden, to point a finger at someone else, to.

00:03:32
Speaker 4: Make himself look good. And so I can't get.

00:03:35
Speaker 3: My head around how or why pardoning Diddy would make any sense for President.

00:03:41
Speaker 1: Trump makes sense. This is where it makes sense. Rose, What does he love? I mean, Taylor Swift just had her wedding. We have seen over the years. He's not a fan.

00:03:58
Speaker 4: That's putting it loudly, but yeah, but still.

00:04:01
Speaker 1: She was being what talked about so much that the White House they put out a social media post in which he made a play off of her tour America's Era's tour, right, is what he said.

00:04:12
Speaker 2: Yes, he loves he's a media guy, Mabe.

00:04:16
Speaker 1: He loves being on board with something that's hot, being affiliated or touched something that's hot. Robes, it was Okay, I hate throwing around Trial of the Century all the time, but this was one of the most one of the biggest celebrity trials we're ever going to see in all lifetime. Obviously he's a huge star. Did he him having the power, the power over a guy that powerful.

00:04:38
Speaker 2: I think is something he appreciates. I think Robes he.

00:04:43
Speaker 1: Relishes this opportunity he has, so even if he doesn't do it, I think he likes dangling it.

00:04:49
Speaker 3: So that's a good point because here's the difference. Look, the reporting wasn't we know that the president is now considering CBS News.

00:04:57
Speaker 4: The way they worded it was I think you put it flimsy.

00:05:00
Speaker 3: It was it didn't have a lot of weight or meat to it, and so the way they put it is that President Trump is reportedly privately discussing whether to grant Combe's requests, so you can read between all of that reporting and the White House in response when asked by other news outlets about this, their response was this, President Trump is the ultimate decider on any clemency related actions, once again reiterating to everyone that Trump.

00:05:32
Speaker 4: Is the man and gets to decide.

00:05:34
Speaker 3: But other people have picked up on the fact that that was the first time that they can recall since Trump acknowledge that Sean Diddycombs wrote him a letter asking for a pardon, that he didn't flat out deny that he's considering a request, So that in and of itself prompted a lot of headlines.

00:05:53
Speaker 2: Again, I remember him previously before the maybe before the former one. He was asked about it.

00:05:58
Speaker 1: It seemed like he made comments on more than one occasion saying, well, I'll take a look at it.

00:06:02
Speaker 2: Well, I don't know.

00:06:03
Speaker 1: He was kind of a not a nice guy to me after I ran for office, and well he has always just dangled it, left it out there and never closed the door.

00:06:11
Speaker 3: He hasn't closed the door on Gallaine Maxwell too, by the way, I mean, that's another one.

00:06:15
Speaker 2: He's like, not muddy the water.

00:06:17
Speaker 4: Okay, all right, all right, we'll stick with Sean.

00:06:18
Speaker 2: Did he Combs?

00:06:19
Speaker 3: But he was back in January that Trump acknowledged to the New York Times that did he wrote him a letter asking for a pardon, and he did tell the New York Times then he was not considering that request. But he wouldn't show the letter to the press. Do you remember that everyone wanted to see the letter. Everyone was dying to see this letter that Sean did. He Combs wrote President Trump asking for something, and he did not produce it. So we don't really know the contents of that letter, just that President Trump said it existed, and that did he wrote it to him.

00:06:51
Speaker 1: So we don't know if this is now, if it's being considered, if it's a new request, because right when word got around it possible, right they would do this. Two hundred and fifty pardons, yes, for the two hundred and fiftieth rogue. Yeah, they've given out two fifty. They heard from two hundred and fifty thousand probably inmates. Oh, trying to lobby to get out and get one of those passes if you will to get out of prison.

00:07:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I'm curious because this was if it is all tied the way it's being reported to the two hundred and fiftieth celebration, technically, I mean, Monday is still a holiday, right, A lot of people are off, so it's still kind of considered because Independence Day fell on a Saturday, aren't like Friday and Monday were all kind.

00:07:32
Speaker 4: Of considered a part of Monday too, I thought so. I thought that there were still some closures.

00:07:38
Speaker 3: I even saw some signs up saying we're closed on Monday in honor of Independence Station.

00:07:44
Speaker 4: So I was just wondering if he still has.

00:07:46
Speaker 3: Until Monday, if he wants to tie it to all of this, where he could connect it, if he wanted it to be a big deal, Because you're right, on Friday, it obviously people would have sat up and taken notice. If Sean Tity Combs was among those eleven names who were part of that Friday, obviously, that would have been a huge That wouldn't have been a sleepy headline that slipped through the cracks.

00:08:07
Speaker 4: But on Monday, maybe it would make a bigger splash.

00:08:09
Speaker 3: If he even has any intention whatsoever of tying a pardon of Ditty to the Independence Day celebrity.

00:08:16
Speaker 1: What's it? What does it get him politically? That's what I think it earns him nothing? Right, Everybody's what we're going to all of a sudden, folks that weren't fans of Trump but were fans of Ditty all of a sudden gonna switch political parties.

00:08:30
Speaker 3: No, this is does it help him at all in the midterm election year with any of his candidates he wants to get through.

00:08:34
Speaker 4: I mean, that's my question. You're laughing.

00:08:36
Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, the funny part there is Rhodes.

00:08:39
Speaker 1: How is he going to go out there and toubt that he let a guy out that we all watch beatle woman in a hallway.

00:08:46
Speaker 2: Look at me, Trump the merciful, You're welcome.

00:08:49
Speaker 3: I mean, does he think it would garner any sort of support among the black folks? Again, I'm trying to think about what he gains, and I can't really think other than maybe, like you said, satisfying his own personal ego.

00:09:04
Speaker 2: But we have other requests. If he wants to help with the black community.

00:09:08
Speaker 4: Yes, that's very very low, very low.

00:09:11
Speaker 2: Is the top of this is going to get us to the promised Land. I don't think so.

00:09:15
Speaker 3: And you mentioned that he had said earlier that he didn't like how did he had spoken of him? I actually have the quotes he said. I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great and seemed like a nice guy. I didn't know him well, but when I ran for office, he was very hostile. And he said that criticism made a pardon quote more difficult to do. So it just goes to show you you always want to be careful who you're rude to or who you make public comments.

00:09:40
Speaker 4: About, because you never know.

00:09:42
Speaker 3: And this I wonder if did he hadn't said anything about President Trump running for office, if he would have already pardoned him by now, if.

00:09:52
Speaker 1: They were close, Yeah, you know what. I don't know, but I remember that happening. We discussed it at the time. I thought it was I thought it was an interesting and honest insight into Trump being a human being. Yep, he says some bad stuff about me, so Nanani boo boo.

00:10:09
Speaker 2: Look who's got the power? Now?

00:10:11
Speaker 1: It was kind of one of those things. And as a human being I can understand that.

00:10:15
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I can too. And look, this is all coming at an interesting time. We just got word not that long ago that Diddy's release date has actually moved up by four months. So his original release date was June fourth, twenty twenty eight. It's now at February twenty third, twenty twenty eight. Because of this rehab program he's been doing. His behavior and all of that in prison behind bars has been really good.

00:10:41
Speaker 4: After a few bumps in the road.

00:10:43
Speaker 2: But it's moved several times.

00:10:44
Speaker 4: Didn't it move the third time it's moved?

00:10:45
Speaker 2: Did always move up? I thought it moved back once.

00:10:47
Speaker 3: It might have been once because he had some disciplinary He's never with a cell phone, and so it moved in and now it's now it's all the way to February twenty third. When we come back, we're going to talk about, first of all Trump's pardons and his history of pardons. But this appeals court decision. We are still waiting on that appeals court that his attorneys presented in April. We still don't know what this appeals court is going to do in terms of throwing out Diddy's convictions altogether. Welcome back everyone to this episode of Amy and TJ. We're discussing the circulating headlines that have been going on since Friday that President Trump could be considering a pardon for Sean Dittycomb's given his two hundred and fifty pardons to celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of our nation's independence. What do you put the chances of this happening on?

00:11:56
Speaker 1: Like, yeah, I think it's fair right now, it just doesn't get him. There's no upside forum right now. This would if this was the end of his term, he might do it and the hell say the hell with it on the way out. Yeah, and even then it would have been right. Diddy would almost wait, he's gonna leave office and no, Diddy would be out of prison by the time he's his urnaments.

00:12:19
Speaker 3: Correct, February, Yeah, February twenty third, twenty twenty eight.

00:12:23
Speaker 2: So the election would be twenty eight. That would be Yeah, he would be out of prison before Trump gets out office. Is that right?

00:12:28
Speaker 4: That's a wild damn wow?

00:12:30
Speaker 3: Did he's going to be free before President Trump's no longer our president?

00:12:33
Speaker 2: Wow?

00:12:34
Speaker 4: Well they didn't realize that either.

00:12:35
Speaker 2: That's a quick Senate It feels like a quick sentence now.

00:12:37
Speaker 3: It well, it was just fifty months correct, time serves right. So anyway, and in terms of pardoning Trump, I didn't realize this. His first term, he only pardoned two hundred.

00:12:48
Speaker 4: And thirty seven people. First day of the second term, he pardoned fifteen hundred people.

00:12:52
Speaker 2: Gotta get those insurrections out.

00:12:54
Speaker 3: It was a pretty big departure from his first term. And so yes, another two hundred fifty possibly over these past few days, maybe leading up through tomorrow. But this was something that I had kind of forgotten about. But this April appeals presentation, or at least his attorneys submitted an appeal for Ditty, and I didn't realize that. The second Circuit judge who is overseeing the appeals case, remarked that this is an exceptionally difficult case. This is a question to first impression, not only for this court, but apparently for any federal court of appeals in the country. So they are basically deciding whether or not the sentencing judge in Ditty's case was correct in imposing a punishment that he considered conduct.

00:13:48
Speaker 4: The jury rejected.

00:13:49
Speaker 3: Because remember Ditty was only convicted on the two lesser charges and he was acquitted of the more serious charges sex trafficking and rocketeering conspiracy. But The argument is that the judge considered those when he imposed the sentence, even though the jury rejected those, and the appeals court says, we've never seen anything like this before.

00:14:09
Speaker 1: Okay, So I just on its face, why is it are you punishing me for conduct that the jury itself didn't punish me for and says I'm not responsible for that, just as a laid person is confusing. I don't know the legal back and forth, but roll it on its fate. We've seen a lot of legal arguments and appeals arguments that they just throwing something up against the wall.

00:14:36
Speaker 2: This one is not just pie in the sky a type.

00:14:39
Speaker 3: Yeah. And to that point, this appeals court has been they've had this case for nearly three months and there's still no decision. I was trying to find out about when this decision is expected, and the answer is they don't know. It could come at any time. So, yes, we're waiting on whether or not President Trump may pardon Sean Didycomb's But he also has a really significantly decent shot at this appeals court overturning the convictions or at least reducing the sentence, and that could mean that he could get out quickly.

00:15:14
Speaker 1: That's the smart you know the wouldn't that be the smart thing to do? And Trump just wait that out? Maybe? Did he will unless he wants credit, unless he wants the power for getting Diddy out.

00:15:23
Speaker 4: You know how much he loves judges.

00:15:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, what if he.

00:15:27
Speaker 4: He doesn't want to seed his power to a judge.

00:15:30
Speaker 1: Maybe, but then this would give him a chance to jump in and say, see these judges, see how they act.

00:15:35
Speaker 2: I can come in and correct the wrong. I don't know what's going on in his head.

00:15:40
Speaker 3: Well, there is a lot to certainly be watching, and there is potential movement in this case. But look, even still to your point, getting out in February of twenty twenty eight, I.

00:15:51
Speaker 4: Mean, I know I'm not sitting there in four dicks behind bars, but it doesn't seem like he's got that much longer to go.

00:15:58
Speaker 2: Given what he was facing. It seemed like he just went to prison.

00:16:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, and we're talking about two springs away from him being out, not.

00:16:06
Speaker 4: Even spring February.

00:16:08
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, he keeps moving up, that's right. Hello, he'll be out by next Christmas at this rate. It keeps moving up.

00:16:13
Speaker 4: I know.

00:16:14
Speaker 3: I do like it though, when we're like it seems like it's gone by so quickly. I remember when I was pregnant and nothing felt quick.

00:16:19
Speaker 4: It felt like a.

00:16:20
Speaker 3: Day was a year, and people would say, oh my god, you're already about to give birth.

00:16:23
Speaker 4: It went by so fast.

00:16:25
Speaker 3: It did not for me. I'm thinking, did he might say the same thing if he heard me.

00:16:29
Speaker 1: When you see him out, don't say my god, you're out already, don't go bye, don't say that.

00:16:34
Speaker 3: All right, Well, we will certainly keep our eye on this potentially developing situation in the meantime. Now, we always appreciate you listening to us. I made roboch alongside DJ Holmes.

00:16:43
Speaker 4: We'll talk sick