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Elon Musk is facing criticism for wondering aloud which high-profile figures were aware of the wide-ranging abuse allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs, even as Musk counted the mogul as an investor and friend.
Musk took to X in response to the latest round of allegations against Combs, in which a team of lawyers pledged to bring more than 100 sexual assault suits and pull back the alleged “wall of silence” of famous people who enabled the musician.
“How many people in music & entertainment knew about this?” Musk asked his followers on 1 October.
Many were quick to point out Musk’s own ties to Combs, who was arrested by federal agents on racketeering and sex trafficking charges and denies wrongdoing.
“hmmm maybe you could have asked him when he invested in your twitter deal,” Mac wrote on X in response to the tweet.
“How many times did you meet Diddy,” asked Condé Nast legal affairs editor Luke Zaleski.
“there’s literally a photo of you with ghislaine maxwel,” added music critic Anthony Fantano, referencing the key ally of the late Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell and Musk were photographed together in 2014, years after Epstein reached a plea deal with Florida prosecutors on accusations of sexually abusing dozens of girls.
A fund tied to Combs is an investor in X, according to a list of funders unveiled in federal court in August.
Musk also once boasted that he and Combs are good friends, according to the new book Character Limit, by New York Times reporters Kate Conger and Ryan Mac.
The claim reportedly came during a meeting where when an executive of Revolt TV, a media company Combs founded, expressed concerns about the growing racism on X.
"’I don’t know if you know this, but Puff is an investor in Twitter,’ [Musk] said, using a nickname for Combs," according to the book. "’You know, he’s a good friend of mine. We text a lot.’"
The Independent has contacted Musk for comment.
Federal prosecutors allege Combs is the architect and leader of a “criminal enterprise” engaged in alleged arson, kidnapping, forced labor, bribery, obstruction of justice and sex trafficking.
Police say they recovered assault rifles with defaced serial numbers, narcotics, and “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant” from Combs’s residences, allegedly used in exploitative situations the mogul dubbed “Freak Offs”.
Separately, scores of women accuse the mogul of sexual misconduct.
News outlets obtained leaked video of Diddy brutally beating his then-girlfriend, the singer Cassie, in a hotel hallway. He later apologized.
