Sean "Diddy" Combs responds to home raid

A lawyer for Sean “Diddy” Combs spoke out today after the rapper’s properties in Miami and Los Angeles were searched in a dramatic Department of Homeland Security raid this past Monday.

“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” the rapper’s attorney, Aaron Dyer, wrote in a statement (via Variety). He continued:

There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated. Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities. Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way. This unprecedented ambush—paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence—leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits. There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.

Combs first came under fire late last year when his ex-partner, recording artist Cassie, accused him of rape and multiple counts of abuse perpetuated over the course of their years-long relationship. While the two quickly settled out of court, more lawsuits followed in the ensuing months. Multiple women accused Combs and his associates of gang-raping them, including one suit in which a then-17-year-old Jane Doe claims she was given “copious amounts of drugs and alcohol” and trafficked across state lines from her home in Michigan to New York via Combs’ private jet. Most recently, producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones alleged that Combs repeatedly groped his “anus and crotch without consent” and would allegedly “force” Jones to recruit sex workers to bring back to his residence.