Following her attendance at the start of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial for racketeering and sex trafficking in New York City, Sunny Hostin offered her insights on the case on The View drawing from her experience as a former federal prosecutor.
As she began her discussion on the show, Hostin, a former sex crimes and human trafficking federal prosecutor, highlighted the serious nature of the charges, describing them as among the most troubling she has encountered in her career. She remarked, “He’s accused of a lot of sex-related crimes and I was a former sex crimes, human trafficking federal prosecutor so this is what I did for a living.”
Diddy is facing charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty but could be sentenced to life in prison if he is convicted.
Reflecting on her day in court, Hostin shared that she had observed the opening statements and had a chance to see Diddy in person, noting a significant change in his appearance from the image many were familiar with.
“He looks very much like a defeated mogul,” she said. Hostin pointed out that his hair was “all gray” because he didn’t have access to hair dye while being held in federal detention. She added, “He dressed like Mr. Rogers. Heâs got sort of like a gray sweater, heâs walking feebly. That could be a defense tactic.”
The View host added that she plans to return to the court room after the broadcast is over to watch singer Cassie Ventura, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, testify in court.
Sara Haines pointed out that she hoped the public would be “past the victim shaming” by this point, adding, “Anyone knows when thereâs a victim involved, thereâs abuse. Thereâs a psychology to that.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin added that Diddy is backed by “one of the most high powered defense teams,” but hoped Ventura’s testimony could sway the jury.
“What I think the prosecution is going to be able to do today with Cassie Venturaâs testimony is have her speak to how those acts were not consensual and, on the trafficking side of things, that she was denied her personal freedom,” Griffin said.
Later on in the conversation, Hostin hesitantly admitted that racketeering cases can be “really hard to prove.”
“The government has to prove Sean Combs had this Bad Boy Records, and the liquor and all the branding, and he used that as a criminal enterprise to traffic women and commit sexual abuse,” she explained. “And itâs a stretch, itâs a really hard case to prove. But itâs an eight-week trial so maybe they will be able to do that.”
The View airs on weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.
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