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By Andrew Stanton
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Former President Donald Trump once described Sean Combs, the rapper commonly known as "Diddy," as legendary in a 1998 invite to the rapper's birthday party, back when the two would cross paths as high-profile businessmen who called New York City home.
Combs, 54, was arrested late Monday night after a grand jury indictment. He faces new federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, according to a 14-page indictment unsealed Tuesday morning. His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, told reporters outside the Manhattan federal court that Combs is pleading not guilty to the charges.
"He came to New York to basically engage the court system and start the case, and it will start today and he's going to plead not guilty. He's going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers," he said.
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Combs and Trump have been photographed together in the past and have publicly made comments about each other. Although the two have socialized together, the former president has not been implicated in any of Combs' alleged crimes.
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The New York Post's Page Six reported in May that Trump was among the high-profile celebrities featured in an invitation to Combs' 29th birthday party in 1998. In the video invitation, Trump referred to the rapper as "the legendary Puff Daddy."
Trump and Combs have been photographed together at several events over the years, though Trump has made little comment about their relationship. Combs, on the other hand, has been more candid about how he feels about the former president.
In an October 2015 interview with The Washington Post, Combs discussed his friendship with Trump, then a longshot candidate in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
"Donald Trump is a friend of mine, and he works very hard," he said.
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In June 2017, The Daily Beast asked Combs his thoughts on Trump as president.
"I think that to be honest, we don't really give a f*** about Trump, because [black people are] in the same f*****-up position. So that's not what we're on. The tomfoolery that's going on in D.C., that's just regular everyday business to black folks. That's not surprising," he said.
By 2020, Combs had become more critical of his friend, going so far as to support his opponent, Joe Biden.
"White men like Trump need to be banished. That way of thinking is real dangerous," he said in an interview with Charlamagne tha God, as reported by CNN.
"When you look at it, we don't have no choice. Say what you want about Biden, I can't say I love the pick either. But we've got to get him in office, and then we've got to hold him accountable," he continued.
In 2018, Combs discussed having Trump appear at his 50th birthday party in an interview with James Corden, who asked if the rapper would "speak to him now?"
Combs said, "I'm not against speaking to anybody for the betterment of the greater good. We're in a crazy time. It's really hard to speak and amplify what's going on. I try right now to just lead by example and I think a lot of times it's a big distraction and a lot of times it's a wake up call for us to take accountability on the future of America and the future of the world."
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Combs also referred to Trump on his 2006 hit "We Gon' Make It."
"I spend absurd money, private bird money / That Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Bloomberg money (you know what it is)," he raps on the track.
The federal indictment unsealed Tuesday suggests that Combs' alleged criminal activity dates back at least 16 years.
The documents also claim that Combs initiated "a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in" various crimes, such as "sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice."
The rapper has had brushes with the law in the past, most notably in 1999 when he was acquitted of charges he took a gun to a Manhattan nightclub, related to a shooting in which his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, was present. Combs was also arrested and charged with beating up a record executive in New York that same year.
Follow Newsweek's live blog for election updates after Trump's second assassination attempt.
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