Suge Knight Sounds the Alarm, "Diddy's Gonna Work That Jury And Trump's Gonna Pardon Him

In custody, former Death Row Records boss Suge Knight's stunning phone interview that aired behind bars at a California prison where he is serving a 28-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter, Knight dropped a handful of bombshells, the most explosive of which is his suggestion that Sean "Diddy" Combs could tamper with the jury in his current federal sex trafficking case.

"Puffy's not a dummy," Knight said nonchalantly from prison. "I think someone's going to advise those jurors and persuade a juror or two of them. That's all you need is one."

That remark alone would have been sufficient to set the headlines ablaze but followed barely hours after singer Cassie Ventura took the stand and yanked Knight's name into Diddy's legal woes in a dramatic, almost cinematic walk down memory lane.

Ventura testified that she and Diddy were experiencing what she described as a "freak-off" inside one of his Los Angeles-area homes when he suddenly got word that Suge Knight was nearby at the famed Mel's Diner.

"We got up in a hurry and went in that direction," she told the court. That shift from party to pursuit had her in freak-out mode. "Please don't do anything stupid," she recalled pleading. Diddy and a bodyguard, both reported to have been dressed in black and carrying guns, were then observed leaving their destination unknown. What happened after that? Cassie said she never learned.

As for Knight, he doesn't remember that particular instance, but he's not calling Cassie a liar. "I don't know if Cassie is in a situation where she has to lie," he said. "I don't think she's in a position where she's got to worry anymore.

Knight's remarks painted a picture of a Diddy who could exert influence well beyond the music business. When a reporter asked directly whether he thought Diddy might attempt to steer the jury, Knight was direct: "He's got enough influence," he said. "He's got friends in the government.

"Trump's gonna pardon him," Knight said matter-of-factly. "I think he's going to be O.K."

From freak-offs to federal courtrooms, celebrity beef to presumably pending presidential pardons, this story has taken a turn that few could've seen coming. Suge Knight's words linger like smoke from a backstage brouhaha as the court unwinds its proceedings. If an ounce of what he's saying is true, this trial could be about far more than simple guilt or innocence, power, politics, and who's making decisions around here.