{"id":30435,"date":"2025-07-10T01:51:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T01:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=30435"},"modified":"2025-07-10T01:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T01:51:10","slug":"diddy-verdict-a-slap-in-the-face-to-women-everywhere-columnist-maureen-callahan-tells-the-mails-the-trial-podcast-daily-mail-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=30435","title":{"rendered":"Diddy verdict &#8216;a slap in the face to women everywhere&#8217;, columnist Maureen Callahan tells the Mail&#8217;s The Trial podcast | Daily Mail Online"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- ad: https:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v8\/us\/ushome\/none\/article\/other\/billboard.html --><\/p>\n<div class=\"billboard-container watermark\" style=\"width: 970px; height: 250px;\">\n<div class=\"sticky-container\">\n<div id=\"billBoard\" class=\"adHolder billboard noAdLabel\" style=\"max-width: 970px; max-height: 250px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"articleWide cleared\">\n<div class=\"alpha\">\n<div id=\"js-article-text\" class=\"article-text wide  heading-tag-switch\">\n<h1>Diddy verdict &#8216;a slap in the face to women everywhere&#8217;, columnist Maureen Callahan tells the Mail&#8217;s The Trial podcast<\/h1>\n<p><!-- ad: https:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v8\/us\/ushome\/none\/article\/other\/para_top.html --><\/p>\n<div class=\"adHolder column-content cleared\">\n<div id=\"para_top\" style=\"width: 638px; margin: 0 auto;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!-- CWV --><!-- [if !IE]><!--> <!--<![endif]--> <!-- [if IE]>\n \t<link href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/registration--.css\" media=\"screen\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\" \/>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]><!--> <!--<![endif]--><!-- [if IE]>\n \t<link href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/all-ie8-9--.css\" media=\"all\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\" \/>\n \t<link href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/all1-ie8-9--.css\" media=\"all\" rel=\"stylesheet\" type=\"text\/css\" \/>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]><!--> <!--<![endif]--> <!-- [if IE 8]>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/mol-fe\/static\/mol-fe-polyfill\/1.0.2\/ie8.js\"><\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if IE 9]>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/mol-fe\/static\/mol-fe-polyfill\/1.0.2\/ie9.js\"><\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if IE]>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/sync_bundle--.js\"><\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]> --> <!--<![endif]--><!-- SiteCatalyst code version: H.20.3.\n    Copyright 1997-2009 Omniture, Inc. More info available at\n    http:\/\/www.omniture.com --> <!-- End SiteCatalyst code version: H.20.3. --> <!-- [if IE]>\n<script>\n  (function (src, d, tag){\n    var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];\n    s.src = src;\n    prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);\n    }(\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/1.17.0\/async_bundle--.js\", document, \"script\"));<\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]> --> <!--<![endif]--><!-- [if IE]>\n  <script>\n    DM.loadCSS(\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/gunther-2159\/video_bundle--.css\");\n  <\/script>\n  <noscript> \t<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/gunther-2159\/video_bundle--.css\"><\/noscript>\n  <script defer src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/gunther\/gunther-2159\/video_bundle--.js\"><\/script>\n<![endif]--> <!-- [if !IE]> --><noscript> \t<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/static\/videoplayer\/7.11.1\/styles\/mol-fe-videoplayer.min.css\"><\/noscript><!-- <![endif]--> <!-- CWV --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The jury&#8217;s decision to clear Sean &#8216;<a id=\"mol-2e94aff0-5cf3-11f0-8256-7300660f5770\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"\/tvshowbiz\/diddy\/index.html\" target=\"_self\">Diddy<\/a>&#8216; Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering is a &#8216;travesty&#8217; that sends a terrible message to survivors of sex crimes, columnist Maureen Callahan has argued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Speaking to <a class=\"\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/dailymail.lnk.to\/the-trial-of-diddyDM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">the Mail&#8217;s award-winning The Trial podcast<\/a>, Callahan said the prosecution had &#8216;incontrovertibly proved&#8217; that Combs was guilty of the most serious charges against him and raised the spectre of whether the rap mogul had &#8216;gotten to the jury&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Combs, 55, was convicted on Wednesday of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">He will be sentenced on October 3 and faces up to 20 years in prison, though legal analysts predict he will receive much less.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;The verdict makes no logical sense to me&#8217;, Callahan, host of The Nerve podcast, told the Mail&#8217;s Kayla Brantley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Finding Combs guilty on these lesser charges that amount to nothing, and not the actual trafficking charges which were incontrovertibly proved by the prosecution \u2013 it makes no sense<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">The jury&#8217;s decision to clear Diddy of sex trafficking and racketeering is a &#8216;travesty&#8217; that sends a terrible message to survivors of sex crimes, columnist Maureen Callahan has argued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Callahan said the prosecution had &#8216;incontrovertibly proved&#8217; that Combs was guilty of the most serious charges against him<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">The columnist\u00a0raised the spectre of whether the rap mogul had &#8216;gotten to the jury&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Compound that with seeing his supporters, as the verdict was read out, spraying each other with baby oil and exalting shirtless in front of the courthouse \u2013 it&#8217;s a travesty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;This whole thing, from front to back, just feels like a smack in the face to women everywhere.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Callahan argued the prosecution relied too heavily on the &#8217;emotionality&#8217; of their evidence, particularly the freak-off videos.<\/p>\n<div class=\"floatRHS\">\n<div data-mol-fe-xpmodule-related-story-factbox=\"true\" data-xp-platform=\"mol.web.desktop\" data-xp-channel-color=\"home\" data-track-module=\"related-story-factbox^related-story-factbox-diddys-courtroom-strategy-that-experts-a\" data-reactroot=\"\">\n<div class=\"textContainer_L8BEBeSX\">\n<h4 class=\"headline_TEL93dS_\"><span class=\"headlineText_tCRNH0ZB\">Diddy&#8217;s courtroom strategy that experts are convinced led to not guilty verdict on top charges<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"container_V5eJTpXY\" href=\"\/news\/article-14871825\/legal-masterstrokes-Diddy-defense-mistake-prosecutors.html\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"container\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/07\/03\/13\/99947871-0-image-a-12_1751545065055.jpg\" alt=\"article image\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The case was also weakened, she believes, by the absence of celebrity co-conspirators who must have &#8216;cut a deal&#8217; to keep their names out of the headlines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Callahan said: &#8216;It was highly suspicious that no other big names were brought into this \u2013 that no one was charged alongside Diddy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;The prosecution wanted to say this was a national network of criminal activity. But if you&#8217;re going to claim that it&#8217;s not enough to say it was the hired help that was renting out hotel rooms and cleaning them up. I wonder how many people cut deals.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Asked whether the jury composition &#8211; eight men aged 30-60 and four women &#8211; influenced the verdict, Callahan said it worked in Combs&#8217;s favour.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">She explained: &#8216;The composition of that jury worked in the defence&#8217;s favour. I would love to know who the prosecution had as their jury consultant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;There is a generational understanding among older people of, how could a woman be abused whilst texting such loving messages to her abuser?<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">The case was weakened, Callahan believes, by the absence of celebrity co-conspirators<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Maureen Callahan: &#8216;Combs will not be remorseful, not hindered by this verdict. He will not seek to do better or turn his life around.&#8217; <a class=\"\" style=\"font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/dailymail.lnk.to\/the-trial-of-diddyDM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Listen now<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I will also say this \u2013 I wouldn&#8217;t put it past Sean Combs if he had gotten to at least one or two of the jurors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;We heard that when the jury went into deliberations, one of them was being so recalcitrant that the other 11 were highly alarmed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"floatRHS\">\n<div data-mol-fe-xpmodule-related-story-factbox=\"true\" data-xp-platform=\"mol.web.desktop\" data-xp-channel-color=\"home\" data-track-module=\"related-story-factbox^related-story-factbox-the-views-sunny-hostin-sparks-debate-aft\" data-reactroot=\"\">\n<div class=\"textContainer_L8BEBeSX\">\n<h4 class=\"headline_TEL93dS_\"><span class=\"headlineText_tCRNH0ZB\">The View&#8217;s Sunny Hostin sparks debate after admitting she is &#8216;dismayed&#8217; Diddy is still locked up<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"container_V5eJTpXY\" href=\"\/femail\/article-14882947\/sunny-hostin-admits-dismayed-diddy-locked-up.html\" target=\"_self\" data-testid=\"container\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/07\/07\/17\/100081237-0-image-a-224_1751904712848.jpg\" alt=\"article image\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I thought to myself then, I don&#8217;t like this.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Callahan highlighted the dangerous precedent the verdict sets for victims trying to hold the rich and powerful accountable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">She also warned that Diddy will feel &#8217;emboldened&#8217; and continue his abusive behaviour upon release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I can only hope the judge gives deep thought to the message Diddy&#8217;s sentencing will send&#8217;, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Not just to abused women, but to celebrities, the wealthy and the powerful, who, now for good reason \u2013 really do believe they are above the law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Combs will not be remorseful, not hindered by this verdict. He will not seek to do better or turn his life around.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I can only hope that America&#8217;s five-star hotels will stop taking his bookings from now on.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\"><span class=\"mol-style-bold\">To listen to the explosive interview with Maureen Callahan in full, search for The Trial of Diddy now, wherever you get your podcasts.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mobileGalleryModal\">\n<div class=\"canvas\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- ad: https:\/\/mads.dailymail.co.uk\/v8\/us\/ushome\/none\/article\/other\/mpu_channel.html --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Diddy verdict &#8216;a slap in the face to women everywhere&#8217;, columnist Maureen Callahan tells the Mail&#8217;s The Trial podcast &nbsp; The jury&#8217;s decision to clear Sean &#8216;Diddy&#8216; Combs of sex &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30435"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30437,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30435\/revisions\/30437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}