Diddy and his legal team have accused the federal government of deliberately leaking a disturbing video of his alleged assault on Cassie. According to new legal documents obtained by TMZ, Diddy’s attorneys allege that the Department of Homeland Security orchestrated the release of the 2016 footage to CNN, which shows the rapper ‘beating, dragging and assaulting’ Cassie at a Los Angeles hotel. The filing suggests officials had a ‘motive’ against the artist as Diddy’s lawyers reveal that CNN reached out for comment just hours before airing the controversial video.

Diddy claims federal gov ‘leaked’ Cassie beating video

On October 10, TMZ got hold of papers that say Diddy's lawyer has officially called out the government of ‘misconduct in his criminal case.’ Specifically, they allege that the Department of Homeland Security orchestrated the leak of a controversial tape to CNN, which prompted the rapper to immediately issue an explanation video of the incident and public apology earlier.

The tape, which dates back to 2016, shows Combs physically assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. The incident occurred during their relationship, and Cassie had initially accused Combs of sexual assault before withdrawing the charges a day later.

Combs' lawyers say that the leak of the tape was on purpose to hurt his image and weaken his case. They believe that the government's move was driven by a personal grudge or to force Combs into agreeing to a plea bargain.

CNN ‘contacted’ Diddy hours before

The court documents reveal that CNN, the outlet responsible for releasing the tape, had contacted Diddy before its publication. The network sought his comment, stating they had "come across a video" and “were in possession of surveillance footage from the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles from 2016,” according to the outlet.

After being contacted by CNN, Combs' attorneys alerted the prosecutors handling his case. They expressed concern that someone within the government or law enforcement might have leaked the tape to the media outlet. "My concern is that someone (not any of you and not the lead case agents) provided this footage to CNN. I bring this to your attention solely because I imagine you didn't want this to happen any more than I do,” the rapper’s attorney said in an email sent to the prosecutors. The reply for the same was received on May 17, following the publishing of the video. “We really appreciate you giving us a heads up. We have now seen the video.”

‘DHS Involvement in the Case’

The legal team representing Bad Boy Records producer Sean Combs is pointing out that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents were frequently quoted in news stories about the raids and investigations involving Combs. This suggests that they played a big role in the case and may have had access to sensitive information.

Combs' legal team argues that his former girlfriend, Cassie, was unlikely to have leaked the tape. Her lawsuit against Combs did not indicate that she possessed the footage, and she had no apparent motive to damage his reputation.

The release of the tape to CNN by Combs' lawyers shows “they wanted to damage Combs' reputation” without “any financial gain,” claims the team. Timing was on Purpose, they continued: The tape came out on May 17, right when there was a big break in the Donald Trump trial. This makes it look like they planned it carefully to get the most media coverage and possibly sway what people think about Combs.

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