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Right-wing political commentator Megyn Kelly urged President Donald Trump not to offer Sean “Diddy” Combs a pardon, warning him it would “not help” the Republican Party win over young women voters.
Kelly, the former Fox News host who now has a popular podcast, issued the warning to the president after seeing reports on Wednesday that Trump was not ruling out offering Combs a pardon.
“Trump should not pardon Diddy. He doesn’t deserve it,” Kelly wrote on X. “He’s a Trump hater. He’s a woman abuser. MAGA is already upset over elites seeming to cover for each other. This would not help. GOP struggling w/young female voters, most of whom will HATE a Diddy pardon.”
Later, on Kelly’s podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, she reiterated her points about how potential women voters would perceive Trump’s pardoning of Combs, a “serial woman abuser,” as a “miscarriage of justice.”
“The GOP is already struggling with female voters and they’re not all lefties. There are young, conservative women who aren’t in love with Trump or MAGA, there are. And this will not help,” Kelly said.
Combs was found guilty on two counts of transportation for prostitution purposes earlier this month in federal court in New York. The music mogul faced a roughly eight-week-long trial on allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering as well, though he was acquitted on those charges.
Regardless of the legal punishment Combs faces for his conviction, his reputation has been tarnished by the trial, which revealed Combs had physically, emotionally, verbally, and sexually abused several women, including his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura. Throughout the trial, witnesses painted Combs as sexually deviant and uncontrollably angry – at any moment, he could become physically violent.
“We all saw the videotape of him beating the hell out of Cassandra Ventura. But there was so much more testimony about the other women he repeatedly beat all the way up to when he was arrested. He doesn’t deserve any of Trump’s mercy,” Kelly said.
Trump has not formally agreed to pardon Combs, but when confronted with the question back in May, he did not rule it out.
"I would certainly look at the facts," Trump said to Fox News reporter Peter Doocy. "If I think somebody was mistreated – whether they like me or don't like me, it wouldn't have any impact."
Rumors escalated on Wednesday after Deadline reported that an unnamed Trump administration source said a pardon was being “seriously considered.”
The White House declined to comment on the speculation to Deadline.
On her podcast, Kelly also pointed out that not only would a pardon be poorly perceived by women, but the situation could also inflame anger directed at the administration for its handling of the Epstein Files.
Trump has declined to release any remaining documents related to the government’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who was accused of abusing women and girls and running a decades-long sex trafficking scheme.
The president said on the campaign trail he would release the files. Various senior members of the administration had also theorized about undisclosed information related to Epstein.
Many people, including a large portion of Trump’s base, believed the government concealed Epstein’s “client list” of high-profile individuals.
“[Trump’s] in trouble because he’s making it look like, to the MAGA base, he’s part of the elite cabal that covers for other members of the elite cabal,” Kelly pointed out. “Trump pardoning Diddy will create another Epstein for him.”
