This is a free article for Diddy on Trial newsletter subscribers. Sign up to get exclusive reporting and analysis throughout Sean Combs’ federal trial.
Diddy’s former personal assistant, a woman identified in court by the pseudonym “Mia,” returned to the witness stand for another day of detailed testimony. Mia has accused Diddy of sexual assault and other physical violence, but her allegations of forced labor are especially crucial for the U.S. government’s racketeering conspiracy case against the rapper.
Mia was aggressively cross-examined by Brian Steel, one of Diddy’s lawyers. Steel attempted to undermine Mia’s account, confronting her with pictures and social media posts that appeared to show the ex-assistant enjoying her years working for the wealthy mogul. Mia pushed back, insisting seemingly carefree Instagram photos didn’t reflect her “misery.”
Here’s what you need to know about today’s testimony:
- In late October 2015, Diddy threatened to both kill Mia and take her to human resources, she told jurors. Diddy “doesn’t sound in his right mind,” Mia told the rapper’s then-chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, in a WhatsApp message. The threats made Mia “terrified and sad,” she said under questioning from prosecutor Madison Smyser.
- Steel, speaking in a skeptical tone, led Mia through a binder of photos, emails and other materials that he implied illustrated a close bond with Diddy. “You’re standing right next to and leaning toward him, the man who terrorized you,” Steele said, referring to a photo of the two at the Burning Man festival in 2013. “Yes,” Mia replied matter-of-factly.
- In a particularly pointed exchange, Steel asserted that Diddy “never had unwanted non-consensual sex” with Mia. She replied: “What I said is true. I have not lied to anyone at all.” Steel then implied that Mia had exaggerated the number of times Diddy allegedly violated her sexually. “Everything I said in this courtroom is true,” she said.
ALSO: President Donald Trump isn’t ruling out a pardon for Diddy. Trump, asked today whether he would consider taking that step, told reporters in the Oval Office that “nobody’s asked” but that he would “certainly look at the facts.” He went on to say that he hadn’t seen or spoken to the rapper in years, and that he wasn’t following the trial closely.
The view from inside
By Adam Reiss, Chloe Melas and Jing Feng
Mia, facing a forceful cross-examination, struck a respectful but defiant tone. She readily acknowledged that she lavished praise and adoration on Diddy in emails, texts and photo captions over the years, even after he allegedly abused her. She came across as confident, far less subdued than she was during pivotal parts of yesterday’s testimony.
Diddy seemed especially interested as Steel led Mia through various Instagram posts, at one point putting on his glasses and leaning toward the monitor to get a closer look.
Analysis: Horrible bosses
By Danny Cevallos
The defense pressed Mia on her social media posts and communications in which she complimented Diddy as a “mentor and inspiration.” When she was fired, she was crestfallen, texting, “I’m going to kill myself, my life is over,” and “I’m so heartbroken I can’t breathe.” She confirmed that after leaving Diddy’s employ, she obtained a severance of $400,000.
This is all fair game for cross-examination. In fact, it’s essential. So far, a few of the government’s witnesses have described what a horrible person Diddy was — but then testified that they couldn’t bring themselves to walk away from him.
The government called an expert to testify that victims of domestic violence find it difficult to extricate themselves from a romantic partner. But is that the same for employees who work for a tyrant? Are they also unable to leave? Maybe.
Perhaps members of the jury identify with Mia — perhaps they also once had a horrible boss but felt they couldn’t leave their job. Or maybe they see Mia as less credible because, in their minds, no matter how bad the job is, you can always choose to leave. And it seems no one wanted to leave Diddy, no matter how despicably he behaved.
What’s next
Next week: Diddy’s defense team is expected to continue cross-examining “Mia” on Monday.
PSA: Every night during Diddy’s trial, NBC’s “Dateline” will drop special episodes of the “True Crime Weekly” podcast to get you up to speed. “Dateline” correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC News’ Chloe Melas and special guests — right in front of the courthouse. Listen here. 
