Instagram, Scrapbooks, and a Paddleboard in South Africa
Mia, a former assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs, remained on the stand for the third straight day, and it’s clear she’s no pushover. Her cross-examination by defense attorney Brian Steele was combative and layered with optics: a male lawyer grilling a woman who has accused his client of sexual abuse. Steele pressed her on old Instagram posts that portrayed Diddy in a glowing light—specifically one from his 40th birthday, which Mia claims was the night of the first assault. The defense tried to suggest that Mia’s social media contradicted her courtroom testimony. But Mia wasn’t rattled. She calmly reminded the jury that Instagram is where people pretend everything’s great, even when it’s not.
More revealing were the stories Mia shared of her time working for Combs. She described being verbally threatened, allegedly told to “learn to walk on water like Jesus” when she fumbled counting $100,000 in cash on a yacht in Saint Barts. One of the most vivid accounts came from a trip to South Africa with Cassie, where Mia claimed Diddy threatened to fire or kill her for taking off with his then-girlfriend after Cassie discovered he was cheating. The defense questioned whether someone being “held captive” could up and leave for another continent. It’s a fair question, and one that casts light on the prosecution’s earlier timeline problems, particularly the decision to frontload Cassie’s testimony before contextual witnesses like Mia could flesh it out.
The episode also took an odd detour into presidential politics, as Donald Trump was asked whether he’d consider pardoning Diddy. His rambling, evasive response did little but remind listeners how absurdly intertwined celebrity, politics, and the justice system have become. Host Pugs Moran highlighted the irony that despite weeks of detailed testimony, all of it might be undone with a single signature from a former party buddy in high office. That possibility, as ludicrous as it sounds, isn’t off the table.
By the end of the day, Pugs declared it a draw. The defense landed some hits with social media gotchas and pointed questions, but Mia stood her ground, giving as good as she got. Her testimony continues Monday, and if the last few days are any indication, she’s not done complicating the picture.
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