Diddy’s Lawyers Say CNN Edited And Destroyed Assault Footage

P. Diddy’s legal team is now accusing CNN of destroying the original footage of him brutally attacking Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway back in 2016. According to his defense team, CNN allegedly edited it and then trashed the raw copy.

For those who somehow missed it, CNN released security footage last year showing Sean "Diddy" Combs chasing after Cassie, grabbing her by the neck, slamming her to the ground, kicking her, and dragging her through the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel. The video matched the horrifying allegations in Cassie’s now-settled lawsuit, where she accused the music mogul of years of abuse, sex trafficking, and threats.

At the time, Diddy said, “I went and I sought out professional help... I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”  

In a new report by TMZ, Diddy’s defense team filed a court document claiming that CNN purchased “the only known copy” of the hotel’s surveillance footage, altered it using free editing software, and then destroyed the original. The edits allegedly removed the time stamp, rearranged the sequence of events, and sped up the video to make the attack look more aggressive.

CNN, for its part, denied all of this, stating, "CNN never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage, which was retained by the source. CNN aired the story about the video several months before Combs was arrested."

This seems like a strategic move on Diddy’s part. If the court rules that the footage is inadmissible because of alleged alterations, it could weaken the prosecution’s case. Video evidence needs to be raw, unedited, and time-stamped to hold up in court. If the claims about the footage being edited are true, it could be considered evidence tampering. If Diddy’s team can convince the court that CNN botched the handling of this footage, it could mean this damning proof never even makes it to trial.

This doesn’t mean Diddy is innocent. The footage still exists, and multiple lawsuits have been filed against him, including one from music producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones Jr., who accused him of sexual assault, coercion, and filming illegal activities. He's also been accused of raping minors.

This entire situation exposes some ugly truths about Hollywood. Maybe Diddy isn’t the only industry giant accused of monstrous behavior. According to reports, Diddy's high-profile friends are panicking over the possibility that he might “spill sordid secrets about them if he winds up wearing a number,” says a source from In Touch. The source explains, “It’s not like they’ve been going around trashing him, but everyone’s been giving him a seriously wide berth. He’s radioactive at this point… and it would be social suicide to have anything to do with him.”

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