Sean "Diddy" Combs Declines The Stand To Testify In Sex Trafficking Trial

Sean "Diddy" Combs broke his silence in the seventh week of his high-profile sex trafficking trial, not with testimony but a choice. On June 24, the music mogul delivered a rare, in-court statement, informing the judge that he would not take the stand in his defense.

Addressing Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs was coherent and assertive, assuring his decision to remain silent at the trial was his own. "We have discussed it thoroughly, that is my decision," Combs said. "That is totally my decision, I am making it." The judge repeated to the jury that they could not infer guilt from his silence, the rule of law in rape cases, and buttressing Combs' right to silence.

The courthouse exchange was short but sweet, particularly given the severity of the charges Combs faces. The hip-hop entrepreneur and the founder of Bad Boy Records has pleaded not guilty to numerous charges, among them sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution, racketeering conspiracy, and trafficking in violation of the Mann Act. This law forbids transporting people across state lines for the purpose of sex, force, or coercion.

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Before declaring his intention not to testify, Combs spoke to the court in a most uncharacteristically non-harried way. "I'm doing great, your honor," he told Judge Subramanian, even complimenting, "I wanted to thank you, you're doing an excellent job." But the courtroom has not been silent, even as Combs sat mute on the witness stand. Since the trial began in mid-May, the prosecution has given the victims and witnesses who were called to testify an opportunity to paint a disturbing portrait of Combs.

The testimony came from his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, Danity Kane's Dawn Richard, rapper Kid Cudi, and Combs's ex-personal employees. The defense has closed its case, with Combs declining to offer his own account of the claims, and the trial now enters its final phase. But in a case as hypercharged and public as this, every move is scrutinized, and silence says a lot. However, it is unclear how much traction Diddy's move gains with the jury. His decision not to testify will be thundering in a courtroom filled with voices.