Sean Combs: The defense cross-examines "Mia."

Summary

Dateline NBC Episode Summary
Episode: "Sean Combs: The Defense Cross-Examines 'Mia'"
Release Date: May 31, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Dateline NBC, host Andrea Canning delves into the highly publicized racketeering trial of Sean Combs, also known as Diddy. The episode centers around the cross-examination of Mia, a key prosecution witness, shedding light on the complexities of her testimony and the strategies employed by both the prosecution and defense teams.

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Mia’s Testimony: A Detailed Account

Mia, who served as Sean Combs' personal assistant for eight years, provided emotional and harrowing testimony regarding alleged abuse and sexual assaults by Combs. Throughout her time on the stand, Mia appeared both vulnerable and resilient.

• Emotional State and Demeanor
  Mia exhibited signs of distress during her testimony. Andrea Canning notes, “Yesterday Mia was, as you told us, she was very emotional throughout the day. How was she today?” (00:41). Tom Yamas responds, “Today she was still looking down, not making eye contact with the jury... her voice still would sometimes seem like it was trembling” (01:48). Despite her emotional state, Mia remained strong and stoic, especially during cross-examination, where she confidently held her ground against prosecution attorney Brian Steele.

• Evidence Presented: Text Messages
  The prosecution introduced text messages between Mia and Sean Combs, as well as between Mia and other employees at Combs Co., to illustrate a toxic work environment. Yamas explains, “These are text messages that date back to the time of the allegations... Some of the texts are threatening” (02:17). Notably, Combs threatened Mia with job termination and public exposure of their alleged sexual relationship, leading Mia to describe these interactions as “sexual assaults” (02:17).

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Defense’s Cross-Examination: Undermining Credibility

The defense team launched a rigorous cross-examination aimed at discrediting Mia’s testimony by highlighting her seemingly positive social media activity during her tenure with Combs.

• Social Media Scrutiny
  During cross-examination, defense attorney Brian Steele presented binders containing Mia’s Instagram posts, displaying messages such as “Happy Birthday Diddy” and “You’re my mentor” (12:20). Steele questioned, “How can you call the person who assaulted you your mentor?” prompting Mia to respond, “Social media is not a true depiction of what was really going on in my life” (13:24). This tactic aimed to portray Mia as conflicted and possibly unreliable.

• Challenging the Assault Claims
  Steele directly confronted Mia about her rape claims, repeatedly asking, “You weren't sexually assaulted, were you? You weren't raped, really, were you?” (14:13). Mia stood firm, asserting, “I stand by my testimony. These things did happen to me” (14:13). She further explained that her positive posts were a way to cope with the trauma, stating, “When things were good, I felt really safe. You almost forget about those things” (14:09).

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Impact of the Cross-Examination on the Jury

The intense cross-examination had a palpable effect on the courtroom atmosphere. Reports from outside the courthouse indicated that some jurors reacted with “laughing and smirking” during Steele’s aggressive questioning (15:38). This raised concerns about potential biases, with observations suggesting that a few jurors appeared to be leaning towards supporting Combs.

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External Reactions and Broader Implications

The trial has garnered national attention, even reaching the White House. A notable moment occurred when a Fox News reporter inquired if President Trump would consider pardoning Combs. Trump responded, “Nobody’s talked to me about it yet... I’m open to looking into it” (16:35). This interaction highlights the trial’s significant public and political interest.

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Key Takeaways and Ongoing Developments

• Mia’s Attempts to Leave
  Mia shared her struggles to escape the abusive environment, recounting an incident on a yacht where Combs threatened her job over counting errors. Her failed attempts included seeking help from the yacht’s captain, ultimately thwarted by logistical issues like lost passports (05:38).

• Employment Litigation
  After being laid off in 2017, Mia fought for back pay, initially seeking $10 million—later reduced to $400,000 after legal fees (06:32). She emphasized that while she disclosed emotional and physical abuse to her attorneys, she withheld sexual assault claims during employment litigation to protect her privacy (07:05).

• Additional Witnesses and Evidence
  Mia mentioned interactions with Christina Karam, Combs’ chief of staff, and Drock, Combs’ head of security, who reached out to her post-lawsuit filing. Mia interpreted Drock’s outreach as an attempt to silence her, though she declined assistance (07:15, 07:47).

• Presidential Comment on the Trial
  President Trump’s non-committal response to the pardon inquiry underscores the trial’s high profile and the ongoing debate surrounding Combs’ legal standing (16:35).

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Conclusion

This episode of Dateline NBC offers an in-depth exploration of the Sean Combs trial, focusing on the pivotal testimony of Mia and the defense’s strategic efforts to challenge her credibility. Through detailed accounts and compelling interviews, the episode underscores the complexities of high-profile legal battles and the profound personal impacts on those involved. As the trial progresses, viewers are left anticipating further revelations and courtroom drama in this ongoing legal saga.

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Notable Quotes:

• Tom Yamas (01:48): “Today she was still looking down, not making eye contact with the jury... her voice still would sometimes seem like it was trembling.”

• Mia on Social Media Posts (13:24): “Social media is not a true depiction of what was really going on in my life.”

• Brian Steele (14:13): “You weren't sexually assaulted, were you? You weren't raped, really, were you?”

• Mia’s Defense (14:09): “When things were good, I felt really safe. You almost forget about those things.”

• President Trump (16:35): “Nobody’s talked to me about it yet... I’m open to looking into it.”

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Production Credits:

On Trial is produced by Franny Kelly with assistance from the Dateline True Crime Weekly team. Senior producers include Alison Orr and Liz Brown Karloff, with original music by Jesse McGinty. Paul Ryan serves as Executive Producer, and Liz Cole is the Senior Executive Producer.

Transcript

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[Lester Holt]

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[Tom Yamas]

I'm Tom Brokaw.

[Andrea Canning]

We hope to see you back here.

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[Tom Yamas]

Tom Yamatz is there.

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[Andrea Canning]

This is On Trial, a special series from Dateline True Crime Weekly bringing you daily coverage from the Sean Combs racketeering trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. I'm Andrea Canning. And it's Friday, May 30th. Just a heads up in this episode, we're going to be talking about some graphic details and harrowing subject matter this morning. The prosecution witness using the pseudonym Mia was back on the stand. Then after a couple of hours, the defense began its cross examination of her as it was starting to. Attorney Brian Steele asked the jurors to open binders that had been left on their chairs. NBC News correspondent Chloe Meloss is going to tell us what was in those binders and more. She has just come out of the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan. Hey, Chloe.

[Tom Yamas]

Hey, Andrea.

[Andrea Canning]

So yesterday Mia was, as you told us, she was very emotional throughout the day. How was she today?

[Tom Yamas]

Today she was still looking down, not making eye contact with the jury. With Diddy, her voice still would sometimes seem like it was trembling and she was sort of whispering at times. But overall she was pretty strong and stoic. And especially during cross examination, there were times where she was really talking back to Brian Steele and holding her own.

[Andrea Canning]

Today, the prosecutor pulled out texts between Mia and Combs. Mia and others who worked at Combs Co. What was that all about?

[Tom Yamas]

These are text messages that date back to the time of the allegations that she's talking about. And it's both Mia and also Diddy's text messages. Some of the texts are threatening. He's telling her that her jobs at stake. He's angry. He's going to fire Her. He wants nothing to do with her. In one instance, he writes to her, if you don't call me now, I'm going to tell everything. And don't ever speak to me again. You have two minutes. This is in reference to her being in South Africa with Cassie. And he was trying to get a hold of Cassie. And according to Mia, when he says, I'mma tell everything, he means exposing their sexual relationship. And she says, those were sexual assaults.

[Andrea Canning]

There is one text the prosecutor showed the jury, which Mia sent Combs and his chief of staff. You can really see the panic or hear the panic in her words, even though it's in a text message.

[Tom Yamas]

Absolutely. I mean, I think one of the things that we're really seeing now is that he was relentless in terms of the work environment for his employees and especially for Mia, who was his personal assistant for all of these years, that he would call her dozens of times in succession and write the same text over and over again. It would say something like, call me now. Call me now. Call me now, please. In one instance, she wakes up to, I think, like, 48 missed calls while she's in South Africa. And she's like, I just woke up. And you can see her worry about her job. You can see her trying to defend herself. And she writes back, I was exhausted. There's a time change where I am right now. I would never avoid you. I would never not answer your calls. I mean, I think that when you're talking about panic, we definitely see it when she messages Christina Khorram, who was Diddy's chief of staff. She says, I'm having night terrors about Diddy.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, because this is what she's waking up to. Right.

[Tom Yamas]

I mean, it's totally abnormal. Imagine your boss calling you 48 times. But she also said that she felt like Diddy was under the influence. He was slurring his words, you know. So we don't know Diddy's state of mind at the time of these actions.

[Andrea Canning]

Yesterday we were talking about how some of Mia's testimony echoes Cassie Ventura's. They both stuck around for years after they alleged Sean Combs began abusing them. How did Mia explain that when the prosecutor asked her, you know, why she stayed?

[Tom Yamas]

Well, she actually said that she had tried to quit before. And she talked about an incident on the island of St. Barts where she was on a yacht off the coast with Kim Porter, who was the mother of some of his children and some of Combs friends, and that Diddy was screaming at her while she was counting some money of his. And he kept telling her that she was counting it wrong and then threatening her and threatening her job. And so she actually went to go hide from him and was begging the captain to get her a tender, which is a little boat to take her to shore. And finally, they get her on that little boat, and it takes her to shore, and she realizes she doesn't have her passport, that she had left it with the head of security back on the yacht. So she said that she's tried to escape, but she was never successful in doing so.

[Andrea Canning]

And there was a Q and A where the prosecutor asks her, you know, could you get other jobs? And, you know, her response was no. Right?

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah. She says that he would have destroyed my reputation. I was scared of him.

[Andrea Canning]

Mia testified that she was eventually laid off in 2017 from the company and that she had to fight for back pay.

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah. So she said that she was so upset, actually, that Diddy was not the one to deliver this news to her, that she felt like it was a real betrayal. But at this point, she's out of a job. She doesn't think she can get a job with anybody else. And so she hires an employment attorney who tries to help her get the money that she feels like she's deserved. And so this goes on for nine months, and eventually there's some mediation. She actually asks for $10 million, but in the end, she only got 400,000, and 200,000 went to her attorneys.

[Andrea Canning]

What was with the 10 million then? Is this for sort of damages? Why so much?

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah. So she says that she did bring up the fact that she had been emotionally and physically abused to her employment attorneys, but she did not say that she had been sexually assaulted. She reiterated that that was something that she just planned to take with her to her grave. Um, and so this $10 million number was arbitrary. It was something she said that her attorneys came up with. Ultimately, she was paid for bonuses owed and all of the overtime that she was owed.

[Andrea Canning]

Chloe. Mia also testified about other people who worked for Combs. And. And you mentioned already one of them, his chief of staff, a woman named Christina Karam.

[Tom Yamas]

Right. And so her nickname is KK and she appears to be across a lot of the communication between Mia and Diddy. And Mia, at times would forward emails or things that she had written to Diddy for her line of sight. So it could be interesting to see will she testify at some point.

[Andrea Canning]

And Mia brought up another name you've mentioned quite a few times now during this trial. Drock, and that is Combs's head of security. How did he come into play in Mia's testimony today?

[Tom Yamas]

This was fascinating. Mia has this exchange with Drock, who reaches out to her right after Cassie filed her civil lawsuit in November of 2023. And on November 30, Drock reaches out to her and is like, hey, have you been? But they haven't talked in two years. So she says he was trying to tell her that Cassie and Diddy's relationship, although toxic at times, that this was just like a normal couple, that their fights were normal. And he said that other people actually agreed with him in their inner circle. She said that a big red flag went off for her and that she just stayed silent on that call.

[Andrea Canning]

Combs settled the lawsuit with no admission of wrongdoing. And we learned a couple of weeks ago that as a part of the settlement, he paid Cassie $20 million. How does Mia fit into this, if at all?

[Tom Yamas]

I think it was pretty clear to anybody who read Cassie's civil lawsuit that law enforcement was probably going to look into this and do some sort of investigation into her claims, especially once CNN released that really shocking security footage of her being beaten in that hotel hallway in 2016. And so if there was any evidence to back them up or people who'd corroborate that, he'd be in jeopardy. Right.

[Andrea Canning]

So Mia is testifying that her interpretation of that phone call is that Combs wants to make sure she's not a threat. Is that accurate?

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah. I mean, she felt as though Diddy was reaching out to her to try to silence her. And Drock actually offers to send her some money, which she declines. But he doesn't say that the money is for her to not participate in any sort of investigation. He just says he wants to help her out. She's like, it's okay. I do have trouble paying my bills right now, but I don't want your help. It's all good. So she never accepts any money. She never gets on the phone with Diddy. After a couple phone calls and a few text messages, they left her alone, it seems.

[Andrea Canning]

Is the government alleging here, then, that Combs was obstructing justice?

[Tom Yamas]

I don't know if that's what they're saying with these particular messages. Obstruction of justice is one of the RICO crimes that prosecutors explicitly named in their indictment. And witness tampering is one of the allegations that the government leveled trying to get Diddy's bail applications denied. Prosecutors have said multiple times that he was obstructing justice from behind bars at his prison in Brooklyn that he was trying to get to witnesses. So I don't know if these messages really illustrate obstruction, but it definitely shows that he was trying to reach out to people.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay, Chloe, we have a lot more to come. When we come back, the defense begins its cross examination of Mia and it includes those binders left on the jurors chairs.

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[Andrea Canning]

Chloe, tell us about these binders and what was inside them.

[Tom Yamas]

So when the jurors came in for Brian Steele's cross examination, there were these binders on each of their chairs and in them were all these different social media posts of Mia's. So this whole afternoon of cross examination, Steele just attacked Mia's credibility by talking about all these things that she had posted on Instagram during her eight years working for him.

[Andrea Canning]

And these posts were, she put them up pretty close in time to some of the incidents she testified about.

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah, I mean, this was really fascinating. Brian Steele spent the entire cross examination showing Mia all of these different things that she had posted on Instagram, wishing Diddy a happy birthday, telling him that she loved him, saying, you're my mentor, you know, you're such a great guy. I'll always be there for you. Thank you for all the things that you've ever done for me. And so Steel's like, how can you call the person who assaulted you your mentor? So, I mean, things got really heated, but she stood firm, and she said that social media is not a true depiction of what was really going on in her life.

[Andrea Canning]

Steele also pointed out that this wasn't all bad for Mia. She there were times where she was enjoying herself, where she liked her job.

[Tom Yamas]

I mean, it's really complicated, right? She says the highs were high and the lows were low. She keeps saying that exact quote. And she says, yeah, I mean, I was traveling, but this was part of my job. I was drinking wine in this photo. But, you know, Diddy wasn't with us in this moment. And Steel says, well, how do you have a good moment when you're terrified because you're saying this is your abuser who has repeatedly sexually assaulted you, who's ruining your life? And she says, it's easy because the dynamic would shift when things were good. I felt really safe. You almost forget about those things.

[Andrea Canning]

Steele really pushed back on Mia's rape claims.

[Tom Yamas]

I mean, there were multiple times where Steele's voice was raised and he was like, you weren't sexually assaulted, were you? You weren't raped, really, were you? And she's like, I stand by my testimony. You know, these things did happen to me. And he said, you know, how do you forget about waking up with a man on top of you? She says, it's too horrible to think about. You want it to go away. So when she would post pictures on trips or wish him a happy birthday, she's basically saying that behind the scenes, it was awful. But publicly, she's cherry picking the best parts.

[Andrea Canning]

The defense seems to be trying to show the jury this different version of Mia. You know, yesterday she was sobbing on the stand. Today, they're trying to show her as this woman who had a fabulous career. You know, she's posting like crazy all these wonderful things she's doing and seems to be enjoying herself working for Combs.

[Tom Yamas]

And that is something that the jury is going to have to figure out, right? I mean, she's far more engaged today. She's kind of talking back to Brian Steele and she's being confident and she's saying, yep. I mean, literally she'll say, yep, I posted that. And she's like, I am dealing with this in therapy right now. I am still unpacking everything that happened to me. I suffer from major ptsd. And at one point she's like, you weren't sexually assaulted. She says that to Brian Steele.

[Andrea Canning]

We obviously cannot read the minds of jurors, but how do you think that they were reacting to the defense's cross examination of Mia?

[Tom Yamas]

So some of these jurors do not have a good poker face. And I was talking to some people who came out of the courtroom this afternoon while I was outside doing some TV segments and they said that some of the jurors were actually kind of laughing and smirking during Brian Steele's. Yep. Really aggressive cross examination of her. That there are a few that appear to be pro Diddy. But again, that could be a facade.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, it's interesting trying to read jurors. You know, you just, you never know. The trial is getting just a ton of attention today. It made it all the way to the White House. A Fox News reporter asked President Trump in the Oval Office if he would consider pardoning Combs. What was the president's answer?

[Tom Yamas]

I mean, in the wake of the Chrisley's being pardoned? Andrea this was a perfectly expected question for him to be asked and he said, nobody's talked to me about it yet. Nobody's asked, but he said he would certainly look at the facts. He said that he hasn't seen or spoken to Diddy in years and that he wasn't following the trial closely, but he was open to looking into it.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay, we look forward to your color and analysis next week. We hope everyone has a great weekend. Thank you, Chloe, for everything all week and thanks to everyone for listening. We'll be back with a new episode on Monday. If you want to read the latest developments and analysis from inside the courtroom, check out the NBC newsletter. Diddy on trial go to nbcnews.com diddy to find that. On Trial is produced by Franny Kelly with help from the DATELINE True Crime Weekly team. Our senior producers are Alison Orr and Liz Brown Karloff Original Music by Jesse McGinty Paul Ryan is executive producer and Liz Cole is senior executive producer of dateline.

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