FLASHBACK: High-profile Democrats have had their fair share of collaborations with rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, whom federal authorities have charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and more in a disturbing indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, New York Mayor Eric Adams and former President Barack Obama have all been connected to the “Hello Good Morning” artist for Democratic causes over the years. Combs has been one of the major celebrities backing Democrats throughout his career.
In 2020, Harris, – now the Democratic frontrunner in the 2024 race – thanked Combs for hosting a political town hall about COVID-19.
“There’s a lot at stake for our communities right now and it’s critical we bring to the forefront how coronavirus is perpetuating racial inequality and health disparities,” Harris wrote on X.
Combs also played a crucial role in engaging young voters for Democrats at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, where he interviewed young delegates and Democrat lawmakers – including Obama and Clinton – for MTV.
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In 2008, just days before the election, Combs made a last effort to court Black voters for Obama’s presidential campaign at a Democratic event – dubbed the “Last Chance For Change Rally” – in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In 2020, Combs endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden for president and launched the “Political Black Party” while saying that “White men like Trump need to be banished” in a podcast interview with Charlamagne tha God.
Combs was awarded the key to New York City in September 2023, only to return it later at Mayor Adams’ request following the release of a 2016 video allegedly showing the rapper assaulting his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie. Adams informed Combs of the key’s rescission in a letter, and the key was returned to the city on June 10.
Combs was part of a group of dozens of Black individuals who sent a letter to Biden in August 2020 urging him to select a Black vice presidential candidate, which appeared to reference reports that then-Sen. Harris was too “ambitious” to be his choice, The Hill reported.
Combs has appeared with former President Donald Trump in photos in the past, primarily at galas and other apolitical celebrity functions.
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Combs pleaded not guilty after appearing in a Manhattan courtroom for his arraignment Tuesday. He was arrested Monday by federal agents based on a sealed indictment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed.
The rapper was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the indictment unsealed earlier Tuesday.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE INDICTMENT
Authorities claimed Combs ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used “violence, use of firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse” to fulfill his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
Combs engaged his victims in “physical, emotional, and verbal abuse” in order to force them into participating in the “freak offs,” the court docs read. Combs would also supply drugs to the sex workers and female victims to facilitate sexual encounters.
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“Freak Offs were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” authorities stated. Combs often provided IV fluids to his victims following “freak offs” to recover from physical exertion and drug use, the indictment read.
During raids on Combs’ home in March, authorities seized “freak off supplies” along with three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, the court docs stated. The feds took “cases and cases of the kinds of personal lubricant and baby oil that Combs’ staff allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak offs – more than 1,000 bottles altogether,” Williams said at a press conference.
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Fox News Digital’s requests for comment sent to Clinton, Obama, Adams and Harris were not returned before publication.
When reached for comment, a White House spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s statements during Tuesday’s press briefing. “Look, it’s an ongoing — ongoing situation, legal matter. I would have to refer you to the Department of Justice. Everything, kind of, is happening today. And so, I’m just — we just don’t comment on ongoing legal matter. I’m not going to do that from here. So, I’m going to leave it there.”
Fox News Digital’s Lauryn Overhultz and Andrew Murray contributed to this report.
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