WEBVTT - Menendez Brothers Path to Freedom & Trump Tariffs 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:07.000 This is Bloomberg Law with June Grossel from Bloomberg Radio. 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:12.000 I just know that on a day like today, that 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:14.680 redemption is possible. 0:00:15.280 --> 0:00:18.440 Thirty five years after they were sentenced to life in 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:22.520 prison without the possibility of parole for the cold blooded 0:00:22.600 --> 0:00:26.320 murders of their parents, a remarkable turn for Eric and 0:00:26.400 --> 0:00:29.800 Lyle Menendez. They now have a chance of getting out 0:00:29.840 --> 0:00:34.320 of prison. Family members have supported the brothers throughout the years, 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:37.640 and they were in court yesterday at the re sentencing 0:00:37.720 --> 0:00:42.600 hearing to testify that not only were Eric and Lyle rehabilitated, 0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:47.040 but they helped other prisoners, including by starting support groups. 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:51.239 Ultimately, we are here today with this result because of 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:54.279 Eric and Lyle, because they had They chose to live 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:58.639 their lives with clarity and a purpose of service that 0:00:58.720 --> 0:01:02.440 the judge was impressed by. 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:06.039 This is something my grandmother, Joan, has fought for her 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:12.360 for thirty five years. I really wish she was here today, 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:16.640 but I'm really excited to give her the news. 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:20.800 LA District Attorney Nathan Hoffman had attempted to block the 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:25.959 resentencying at every turn, arguing repeatedly that Eric and Lyle 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:29.559 had not admitted to lies told during their trial about 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:33.200 why they killed their parents, nor have they taken complete 0:01:33.240 --> 0:01:35.280 responsibility for their crimes. 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:40.479 Whether it's some Menenda's brothers or anyone who basically engaged 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:44.600 in a horrific, brutal killing of their parents, shotgunning their 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:48.240 parents over thirteen times when they were adults eighteen and 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:50.840 twenty one years old, I would have concern whether it's 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:53.680 the Menenda's brothers or anyone it fits that profile. 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:57.880 Both Eric and Lyle addressed the court and took responsibility 0:01:57.920 --> 0:02:00.640 for the murders of their parents and the lies they 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:04.560 told in court. Eric said, I have profound sorrow for 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:07.760 the tragedy I created. I took the lives of my 0:02:07.920 --> 0:02:12.240 mom and dad. My actions were criminal, cruel, and cowardly. 0:02:13.080 --> 0:02:16.200 Lyle said, I killed my parents. I offer no excuse 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:20.600 and I don't blame my parents. Judge Michael Jessic resentenced 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:24.640 the brothers, reducing their sentences from life in prison without 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:29.520 parole to fifty years to life, making them immediately eligible 0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:32.799 for parole. But there's still a long road ahead that 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:36.040 goes through the parole board and the governor. Joining me 0:02:36.120 --> 0:02:39.800 is Dave Ahrenberg, former Palm Beach County State Attorney and 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:43.600 managing partner of Dave Arenberg Law. Dave, let's talk about 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:48.440 what this resentencing hearing was and what it wasn't. It 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:52.760 wasn't about re litigating the murders, but it was about 0:02:52.840 --> 0:02:55.639 whether the brothers have been rehabilitated. 0:02:56.160 --> 0:03:00.600 The hearing was surely for the judge, that is, whether 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:04.760 or not the Menendez brothers can be resentenced, and he 0:03:04.760 --> 0:03:09.920 heard testimony from family members and decided that in the 0:03:09.960 --> 0:03:14.680 interest of justice, that Menanda's brothers would be resentenced under 0:03:14.960 --> 0:03:18.919 the rules of the time, which permitted someone who committed 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:22.079 such a horrific offense who's under the age of twenty 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:25.800 six to be eligible for parole. The thing is, at 0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:29.240 the time they were sentenced to life in prison without parole, 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:32.000 but now they're changing it to with pearol, and now 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:35.360 the Menendez brothers can go before the parole board to 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:36.200 let him out early. 0:03:36.720 --> 0:03:42.040 Nathan Hoffman, the LA District attorney, opposed to resentencing and 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:45.600 attempted to block it in every way he could. Why 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:47.400 was he so opposed to it? 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:51.480 He ran on a law and ordered platform and he 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.720 got elected to be tougher on crime as opposed to 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:58.040 the predecessor Gassone, who was seen as one of those 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:02.760 Soros reform prosecute. So this is in line with Takman's 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:06.880 brand to be tough on crime, and he represented what 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:09.640 I considered like this press the silent majority, not the 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:13.880 celebrities who came out and masked to support the Menendez brothers, 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:18.040 but people who said, I remember this horrific crime and 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:21.360 they were sentenced a life in prison. To get life 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.360 in prison, and that didn't mean thirty five years in prison. 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:29.240 The testimony was from family members of the Menendez brothers 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:33.640 and it was about how they have rehabilitated themselves in prison. 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:37.440 The family members were the biggest supporters of an early release. 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:41.359 Now all the family members but seemingly one who passed away, 0:04:41.680 --> 0:04:44.919 wanted them out early. But the district attorney does not 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:48.680 represent the victim, does not represent the family members. They 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:52.360 represent the people. That's why it's usually the people versus 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:57.240 Menendez or the state versus Menendez. And in this case, 0:04:57.480 --> 0:05:00.719 the decision of the district attorney was that it is 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:04.400 in the interest of the people of California that the 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:06.640 Menenda's brothers stay behind bars. 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:12.400 So they were model prisoners. Apparently, Lyle had absolutely no 0:05:12.920 --> 0:05:16.240 you know, write ups for violence in the years they 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:19.640 were in prison. Apparently Eric had won. That was twenty 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:25.240 five years ago, So there really was no evidence that 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:27.839 they hadn't reformed themselves, was there. 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:31.560 Well, there was a report that showed that they did 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:36.880 have contraband inside the prison, which was cell phone and 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:41.640 potential drugs. That's part of a report, and whether or 0:05:41.720 --> 0:05:46.280 not that means they have not been reformed. Well, when 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:50.720 it comes to violence, they clearly did not commit anything 0:05:50.880 --> 0:05:54.520 like that in prison. They were different people behind bars, 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:56.800 they helped others. But yet there are a lot of 0:05:56.800 --> 0:06:02.080 people who find God behind bars and they help others, 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:04.680 and they don't get released early from a life sentence. 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.279 So it seems that the celebrity in this case, the 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:09.279 power of celebrity made a real difference. 0:06:09.440 --> 0:06:13.120 I wonder if this would have happened if you hadn't 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:17.640 had that Netflix documentary that sort of introduced a whole 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:22.839 new generation of people to the Menendez brothers in a 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:24.080 sympathetic way. 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:27.880 I agree the power of streaming, the power of celebrity. 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:31.160 I think the Menendez brothers became a cause celeb and 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:34.960 as a result, they got some benefits from it. They 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.279 got all this worldwide attention they had the best lawyers 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:40.919 possible for them, and they were able to convince the 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:44.040 district attorney to side with them to get a resentencing. 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:47.120 And then that district attorney lost the election, but the 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:50.760 judge went ahead with it anyways, And now it's up 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:53.080 to the pro board and the governor, and I think 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:55.360 they will be let out early. I don't think there 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.560 are any risk of reoffending any violent crime. I think 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:02.400 they did get reform behind prison walls. But on the 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:04.600 other hand, how many other people in their situation get 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:07.480 this benefit, get sentence to life in prison and they 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:11.960 get out early because they were good prisoners. Not many. 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:16.520 But this case was treated differently because of the celebrity involved, 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:19.000 because of the notoriety, and that's the issue I have. 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:21.800 I just don't think they were treated like everyone else. 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:26.360 But in their second trial, the judge limited the testimony 0:07:26.640 --> 0:07:31.080 about the allegations of abuse, and it's possible the jury 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:34.400 would have come out with a verdict of manslaughter instead 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:38.320 of murder if the abuse allegations had gotten a full hearing. 0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:41.480 Well, that was a judge's determination at the time, and 0:07:41.560 --> 0:07:44.360 the crimes were not overturned on appeal. I mean the 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:46.440 proper venue. If you think that the judge made a 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:49.120 bad decision is to appeal it. But the appellate courts 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:51.600 did not agree, thought that they got a fair trial. 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:55.800 And as far as being led out, the real reason 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:57.920 why they're being led out, apparently, at least according to 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:00.920 the previous DA, was because of their good behavior behind bars. 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:02.720 But there are a lot of people behind bars who 0:08:03.680 --> 0:08:06.520 act with good behavior and they don't get let out early. 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:09.680 The difference here to me is the celebrity aspect of 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:11.360 it that doesn't exist in other cases. 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:15.200 The DA Hawkman had complained over and over that they 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:20.160 hadn't taken responsibility for the crimes, but both brothers made 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:26.960 these remarkable statements accepting full responsibility for the murders. Lyle 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:29.720 said that all the choices he made were his own, 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:33.559 including quote the choice to reload, return to the den, 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:35.560 and run up to my mother and shoot her in 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:39.080 the head. And he apologized for making a mockery of 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:42.520 the criminal legal system by lying. Does that seem like 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:45.640 the kind of apology that the LADA was looking for. 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:49.840 It does, and that's something that I thought has been underreported. 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:52.280 I'm glad you brought it up to gen because Hawkman 0:08:52.320 --> 0:08:55.920 had asked for a real apology, said enough of this abuse, 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:59.320 excuse take responsibility for your actions. Stop saying that you 0:08:59.360 --> 0:09:01.760 had to kill your parents because they would have killed 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:04.800 you first. That was a lie all along. And I 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:08.880 do believe with their statements that they went a long 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:13.480 way towards meeting Kachman's request, and that's why I think 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:15.960 that they will be released earlier. I do think that 0:09:16.240 --> 0:09:21.400 this was as close to a full fledged apology acknowledgment 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:24.400 of guilt that we have ever seen from them. It 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:27.520 was something different than before, and I think that's going 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:28.720 to lead to their early release. 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:32.120 The judge called the crime shocking. He said he was 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:35.640 also shocked by the number of corrections officials who wrote 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:38.480 letters on behalf of the brothers, and that seemed to 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:40.640 be an important part of his decision. 0:09:41.840 --> 0:09:45.680 It was something that corrections officials and family members all 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:47.880 sided with them, and I do think the celebrity part 0:09:47.880 --> 0:09:49.720 of it has something to do with it. The Netflix 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:53.320 shows the movement behind them. Yeah, I think that did 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:56.959 persuade people. But I do think also there's really little 0:09:56.960 --> 0:09:59.559 doubt that they are different people today than they were 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:03.040 back there. They were real spoiled, selfish kids. Who acted 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:06.280 in a brutal, horrific way. I mean the fact that 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:10.400 the mother who did not engage in sexual abuse but 0:10:10.480 --> 0:10:14.160 may have helped cover it up. But she was crawling 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:17.280 away after being shot by a shotgun, and then the 0:10:17.360 --> 0:10:21.400 brothers went outside to reload to continue to come in 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:24.760 and shoot her ten times, including in the face. There 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:28.360 was so much blood on the scene that the cops 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:31.920 thought this was a mafia hit, and yet they lied 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:35.280 about everything. They went on a spending spree. Only after 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:38.280 spending seven hundred thousand dollars in quick turn did they 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:42.720 attract the attention of law enforcement and then were eventually arrested. 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:45.160 But they got away with it for a while. They 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:48.240 got what they wanted, and I thought they deserved their sentence. 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:51.920 But you know, they are reformed, and if the system 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:54.160 lets them out early, I don't think they will reoffend. 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:57.760 Coming up next on the Boomberg Law Show, I'll continue 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:01.800 this conversation with Dave Arenberg. We'll talk about the three 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:05.400 paths to freedom the Menendez brothers have right now, and 0:11:05.480 --> 0:11:09.040 an update on their racketeering and sex trafficking trial of 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:12.920 Seawan Combe's I'm June Grosso and you're listening to Bloomberg, 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:17.440 Eric and Lyle Menendez have been given their first chance 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:21.720 at freedom in decades. A Los Angeles judge reduced the 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:26.440 brother's sentences from life in prison without parole to fifty 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:30.880 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole. But 0:11:30.960 --> 0:11:34.319 there's a long road ahead. The brothers now have three 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:37.880 potential paths to freedom, through the Parole Board, which could 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:41.000 grant them parole, through the governor, who could grant them 0:11:41.080 --> 0:11:45.760 executive clemency, and through a petition for habeas corpus, where 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:48.559 a judge could grant them a new trial. I've been 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:52.559 talking to former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Ahrenberg. Dave, 0:11:52.640 --> 0:11:57.120 their clemency hearing is already set for June thirteenth, and 0:11:57.200 --> 0:12:00.920 as part of the clemency hearing, the Parole Board already 0:12:00.920 --> 0:12:05.800 conducted an evaluation to determine what dangers the brothers may 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:11.600 pose if released. It's called a comprehensive risk assessment. Here's 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:15.000 what la DA Nathan Hoffman said about the findings. 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:19.080 We have this additional new information coming in from the 0:12:19.080 --> 0:12:24.240 border Parole senior psychologists that have assessed that risk as 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:27.559 a moderate risk, not a high risk. Not a low risk, 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:28.680 but a moderate risk. 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:30.720 So what do you think is the best path for 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:31.760 them to get released. 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:34.720 I was actually surprised when I saw that moderate risk. 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:36.880 I don't think they will REAFFCD. I mean, there's so 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:38.680 many eyeballs on these guys. They're going to go on 0:12:38.720 --> 0:12:42.240 the speaking circuit, they're gonna go through reality shows. I mean, 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:44.600 I think it's unfair because they're going to be treated 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:47.040 in a way that others are not. They're going to 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.800 get super celebrity and make a lot of money off this, 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:53.400 and no one should profit off their infamy. But I 0:12:53.440 --> 0:12:56.240 do think that the two tracks will lead to their 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:59.559 early release, whether it's the Governor Newsom track of the 0:12:59.640 --> 0:13:02.760 clements see board and then signed by the governor or 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:06.000 the parole board, which is what the judge just sanctioned. 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:08.880 So either way, I think they're headed towards the release. 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:13.760 And if the parole board does deny parole, it has 0:13:13.840 --> 0:13:17.160 to do so for a period of three, five, seven, 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:20.680 ten or fifteen years, so it could deny parole and 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:23.800 then say, well, come back in three years. 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:26.320 I would think that would be probably the best case 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:29.520 scenario for those who want Meananda's brothers to stay behind bars. 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:34.240 I do not envision them remaining behind bars that much longer, 0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:36.720 so three years may be the outer limit. 0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:40.360 They also filed the habeas corpus petition seeking a new trial. 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:41.959 Is that still in play? 0:13:42.679 --> 0:13:45.559 That was always the most unlikely thing to happen. Of 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:48.080 the three of the three choices, three real choices. They 0:13:48.080 --> 0:13:50.160 had the resentate thing, they had the clemency, and then 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:52.400 they had the habeasts. But the Habeasts was sort of 0:13:52.400 --> 0:13:55.440 a dead end. The other two, though, bore fruit, and 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.840 I think that that's going to lead to their early release. 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:01.439 But you know, I just wonder had there not been 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:04.400 Netflix documentaries, would they be in this situation, had Kim 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:06.640 Kardashian others not taken up their cause, would they be 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:10.760 in this situation? They committed a horrific, brutal murder and 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:13.760 lied about it for years, and now they're ready to 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:16.520 be released after thirty five years of serving a life sent. 0:14:16.640 --> 0:14:19.720 I mean, new evidence had emerged. Did that play any 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:21.920 part in this resentencing hearing? 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:25.800 I think it did, because the judge took everything into account. 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:27.920 It was more than the good behavior. It was the 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.920 fact that there was evidence that the sexual abuse from 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:35.320 Jose did occur, not conclusive evidence, but we had a 0:14:35.400 --> 0:14:37.640 letter that one of the Menanda's brothers wrote to a 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:41.440 cousin that mentioned it. There was also the Menudo boy 0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:44.400 band member who said that Jose engaged in sexual abuse 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:46.840 with him. So yeah, there is evidence, and that's why 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:49.320 it could be a manslaughter case instead of a murder 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:52.080 case as it applies to Jose. And I'm okay if 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:54.560 they want to let him out early for the murder 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:57.080 of Jose because of this new evidence, because it been 0:14:57.240 --> 0:14:59.840 good prisoners. The problem I had is the murder of 0:14:59.840 --> 0:15:03.680 them mother Kitty, who did not engage in sexual abuse, 0:15:04.280 --> 0:15:06.680 and they said, well, she enabled them, But here are 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:10.200 their parents sitting watching TV with their backs turn eating 0:15:10.240 --> 0:15:13.480 ice cream, getting blown away with shotguns by these boys 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:16.760 who meticulously planned this brutal murder, and then they went 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:19.520 on a shopping spree after covering it all up. And 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:22.960 the way they murdered Kitty was so horrific and so 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:27.800 cold calculated and cruel that I don't think that's a 0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:31.000 manslaughter case. I think that's a murder conviction and should 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:33.680 stay as a murder conviction. But as I said before, 0:15:33.760 --> 0:15:36.520 this case was really never treated the same as other 0:15:36.560 --> 0:15:37.520 cases from the beginning. 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:40.920 We'll see what happens with the clemency hearing in about 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:43.880 a month. Let's turn for a moment to the Sean 0:15:43.920 --> 0:15:49.080 Diddy Combe's trial. It's day three of Combe's trial. He's 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:54.840 charged with racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:59.760 in prostitution. His former girlfriend, Cassie Venture, is on the 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:03.960 stand for the second day, talking about her decade long 0:16:04.080 --> 0:16:09.040 relationship with Colmbs that she says was plagued by jealousy, violence, 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:13.880 and humiliating sex. The prosecution seems to have a wealth 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:18.960 of evidence of violence of violent acts. Is that enough 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:19.680 in this case? 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:23.240 Well, it's not enough just for there to be violent. 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:26.760 There needs to be more, and I think they have more. 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:30.800 They've got more because they have more than one witness 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:34.560 who's going to testify to These freak coughs and the 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:39.320 freak COFs are in themselves not necessarily illegal, but it 0:16:39.440 --> 0:16:43.920 is illegal when it involves involuntary sexual conduct, when it 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:48.120 involves alleged human trafficking, when it involves a racketeering an 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:52.680 ongoing criminal enterprise to service ditty and committing various crimes 0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:58.960 along the way, like arson and obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:03.800 and all these other types of crimes that fit under 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:08.000 the racketeering ruber. So, you know, standing alone, maybe there 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:10.600 are not all times that would have been prosecuted. The 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:12.960 defense is that this is the domestic violence case, this 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:15.080 is not a racketeering case, this is not a human 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:18.159 trafficking case. But taken all together, it does look like 0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:21.520 they have enough evidence to sustain the conviction. And Cassie 0:17:21.560 --> 0:17:25.480 taking the stand yesterday and today has been devastating for 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:29.120 the defense because she is the one who connects all 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:31.320 the dots in this case, and she's been a very 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:34.680 compelling witness, not to mention she's also eight months pregnant, 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:36.920 so she's a very sympathetic witness as well. 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:42.520 During the opening statements, the defense attorney claimed that Combe's 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:46.320 accusers were motivated by money, and she said that Cassie 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:52.040 Ventura demanded thirty million dollars when she sued him. Quote, 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:54.720 I want you to ask yourself, how many millions of 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:57.879 reasons does this witness have to lie? So we can 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.359 assume that that's going to be part of the cross 0:18:00.440 --> 0:18:05.080 examination and why she didn't report it to police and 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.960 instead file the civil suit. Against him. 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:11.240 She set this all emotion by suing him. It's something 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:13.240 that takes a lot of courage to be able to 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:16.240 file something. And it wasn't a money grab when you 0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:19.160 have the other party selling it within a day like essentially, 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:21.680 they keep her quiet. So if he wants to bring 0:18:21.760 --> 0:18:24.320 up that this is a civil case of money grabbed, 0:18:24.440 --> 0:18:25.960 it's a look bad for him to say, yeah, I 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:27.720 settled with it a day. That's something you don't do 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:31.480 unless you know you've done it. So it cuts both ways. Yes, 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:32.920 you can say why didn't you report this to the 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:36.560 police and why did you just sue? Well, okay, but 0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:39.080 look what happened. She sued and then the police got involved, 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:43.040 and so that led to the criminal charges. It's because 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:46.639 of Cassie that this whole trial is even a current. 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:50.000 And then he also lied about the fiscal violence all 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:51.800 of a sudden, he admitted to it only after that 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:55.000 horrific video came out. That video is very telling. They 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:57.480 played it already in front of the jury and the 0:18:57.560 --> 0:18:59.640 jury must be appalled by it because that's the only 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:02.199 thing is it ever admitted to, it seems, is the 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:05.439 physical violence on that day at that moment, because that 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:08.080 was the act that was caught on video. 0:19:08.400 --> 0:19:11.200 I read that Diddy was offered a plea deal and 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:13.640 turned it down. I don't know what he was offered, 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:17.399 but it does seem like this defense is going to 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:21.080 be an uphill battled to say the least. So what's 0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:22.480 the defense going to look like? 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:28.720 The defense is consent, and consent is a legitimate defense 0:19:28.800 --> 0:19:31.280 when you're dealing with adults who allegedly are victims of 0:19:31.359 --> 0:19:34.000 human trafficking. If there were miners consent, it's not a defense. 0:19:34.640 --> 0:19:37.560 But to get a human trafficking conviction, you need force, 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:41.600 fraud or coercion. Well that's where that video comes into play. 0:19:41.720 --> 0:19:44.879 The force that was used. Her claims a physical violence 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:48.720 are buttressed by that video. So if they can prove force, 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:51.600 fraud a coorsion, then all you need is one victim 0:19:51.800 --> 0:19:54.159 and he goes down. But they're trying to show a 0:19:54.200 --> 0:19:57.800 pattern of activity to get that racketeering conviction. And then 0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:00.440 there's the other charges of the man acts by relations, 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:03.359 which is when you take individuals across state lines or 0:20:03.359 --> 0:20:06.040 purposes of the prostitution. So I think the prosecution has 0:20:06.119 --> 0:20:08.200 enough to win a conviction and to keep Ditty behind 0:20:08.200 --> 0:20:10.119 bars for the rest of his life. The defense is 0:20:10.160 --> 0:20:12.320 going to try their best to poke holes in the 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:16.159 victims stories and to show that this was a consensual 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:19.080 activity of these freak coughs. But I don't know. I mean, 0:20:19.520 --> 0:20:22.960 yesterday's and today's testimony, we're going to continue to hurt 0:20:23.000 --> 0:20:26.720 the defense because Cassy comes across as very credible and 0:20:26.760 --> 0:20:29.600 the stuff she's saying is so salacious that it has 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:30.800 to move the jury. 0:20:31.480 --> 0:20:34.600 So did he took videos of these so called freak 0:20:34.640 --> 0:20:38.960 offs and today they showed the jury stills of them. 0:20:39.560 --> 0:20:44.920 Do you think that just seeing these graphic images will 0:20:44.960 --> 0:20:47.040 impact the jury's view of him. 0:20:47.440 --> 0:20:50.080 There's a rule of evidence that says that the evidence 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:52.720 is not going to be admitted if it's more prejudicial 0:20:52.720 --> 0:20:56.080 than it is probative, if it's just used for salaciousness, 0:20:56.080 --> 0:20:59.160 if it's just used to inflame the jury. But here 0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:03.320 it's part of the charge, so it is relevant, and 0:21:03.400 --> 0:21:05.960 it is very salacious, and it will have an effect 0:21:06.000 --> 0:21:08.240 on the jury. How do you not when you hear 0:21:08.359 --> 0:21:12.600 things that I can't even repeat on this program, it 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:15.639 would be believed. You can imagine how the jury feels 0:21:15.680 --> 0:21:18.840 that this was real life. So that's why I think 0:21:18.880 --> 0:21:20.920 that it will come back to haunt Diddy. Now, what's 0:21:20.920 --> 0:21:23.879 ironic is that our culture now, our society, is that 0:21:24.520 --> 0:21:27.679 if he gets acquitted, he'll go back to making records 0:21:27.680 --> 0:21:30.720 and being the super celebrity he is, when in any 0:21:30.720 --> 0:21:33.560 other time you would think that just these allegations, just 0:21:33.800 --> 0:21:37.080 this kind of testimony, would destroy someone's reputation in the 0:21:37.080 --> 0:21:40.880 court of public opinion. But nowadays it seems like even 0:21:40.920 --> 0:21:42.680 being infamous can get them paid. 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:45.080 I don't know, Dave, Even if he's acquitted, I'm not 0:21:45.119 --> 0:21:48.160 sure he could make a comeback, but he certainly has 0:21:48.200 --> 0:21:52.159 the huge hurdle of a jury verdict ahead of him. First, 0:21:52.640 --> 0:21:54.840 thanks so much for being on the show, Dave. That's 0:21:54.920 --> 0:21:58.639 Dave Ehrenberg, former Palm Beach County state attorney. Coming up 0:21:58.640 --> 0:22:01.320 next on The Bloomberg Last Show, we'll look at whether 0:22:01.359 --> 0:22:06.400 the US Trade Court might block Trump's Liberation Day global tariffs. 0:22:07.000 --> 0:22:13.440 I'm June Grossel. When you're listening to Bloomberg. President Trump's 0:22:13.440 --> 0:22:17.760 global tariffs are facing a key test in US Trade Court. 0:22:18.280 --> 0:22:21.480 A group of small businesses is urging the court to 0:22:21.600 --> 0:22:26.040 block the tariffs, arguing that Trump invoked a bogus national 0:22:26.080 --> 0:22:31.160 emergency to justify them. The businesses claim that Trump's use 0:22:31.240 --> 0:22:36.320 of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act or IEPA is 0:22:36.359 --> 0:22:42.040 an unprecedented and unlawful expansion of presidential authority that would 0:22:42.040 --> 0:22:46.720 allow him to impose tariffs without meaningful judicial review. The 0:22:46.760 --> 0:22:52.240 Trump administration is arguing that the president's emergency declaration is justified, 0:22:52.800 --> 0:22:57.199 saying the cumulative effects of annual trade deficits are a 0:22:57.240 --> 0:23:01.080 threat to the US economy and supply chain, and further 0:23:01.160 --> 0:23:04.440 that the courts don't have the authority to review Trump's 0:23:04.520 --> 0:23:09.440 interpretation of what an extraordinary threat is. The fight could 0:23:09.480 --> 0:23:13.760 impact trillions of dollars in global trade, and comes amid 0:23:13.760 --> 0:23:17.720