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The Situation Room

Sean 'Diddy' Combs Faces Sentencing; Health Care Debate Fact- Check. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired October 03, 2025 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: The partisan finger-pointing is only intensifying each day the government shutdown continues.

Here's a taste of what Republicans say about Democrats' demands.

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REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): They have made a decision that they would rather give taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal aliens than to keep the doors open for the American people, to keep vital services, veteran services, health care and nutrition for women, infants and children.

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BROWN: Democrats, in contrast, argue this. Watch.

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SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The federal government by law that we passed does not fund health insurance for undocumented immigrants in Medicaid, period, nor the ACA, nor Medicare. Undocumented immigrants do not get federal health insurance premiums, period, period. They're lying.

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BROWN: All right, which is it?

Let's bring in CNN senior writer Tami Luhby to fact-check all of this.

Tami, what exactly is it that Republicans and Democrats each want and what are the facts behind what we just heard?

TAMI LUHBY, CNN SENIOR WRITER: Yes, so the Republicans are arguing that in their bill, they restricted access to health care benefits, to federal health care benefits and payments for health care benefits to what they're calling illegal immigrants. And the Democrats are saying, as you just heard, that that is not the

case. And what the Republicans are arguing is because the Democrats in their funding bill want to reverse or repeal the section of the One Big Beautiful Bill that would restrict eligibility and payments, then therefore the Democrats want to give health coverage to illegal aliens.

That's what the Republicans are saying.

BROWN: So I just want to follow up on that, because under the law, if you were in the country illegally, you cannot enroll in health insurance, in a health insurance program, premium, ACA, Medicaid.

LUHBY: Right. Right.

BROWN: So, help us better understand why Republicans are seizing on this provision of the Democratic-supported funding bill that's been called into question.

LUHBY: Right.

So it's -- I guess, to some extent, it's a definition of how you define illegal immigrant or undocumented immigrant. So, currently, as you said, it's true the undocumented immigrants, people without any legal status cannot enroll in Medicaid. They cannot get Medicare. They cannot enroll at all in the Affordable Care Act exchanges, and they cannot get the subsidies, the federal premium subsidies to help you afford Affordable Care Act exchange, Affordable Care Act coverage.

But what the Republican bill did is, it actually reduced eligibility or access to people with legal status here, people like refugees, asylees, victims or survivors of trafficking and abuse, people with temporary protected status.

Those folks were able to access some federal health care benefits. And under the Republican bill, they cannot. So that is one of the main things that the Republican bill did, that reversing it would obviously provide more access to these folks with legal status.

There were some other provisions that we can also discuss, but those are the main issues. One of the other things the Republicans have said is talking about a program called Emergency Medicaid. So, everyone -- federal law requires hospitals to assist and stabilize anyone who comes to them in an emergency. That's a requirement.

So, Emergency Medicaid provides reimbursements to the hospitals to care for people -- for certain people. And some of those include low- income undocumented immigrants who would have been eligible for Medicaid but for their status.

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And so, yes, there is some federal funding that goes to reimburse hospitals. It's not health insurance coverage or not what many people would consider health insurance coverage. But it does go to reimburse hospitals for the care that they are federally -- by federal law required to provide.

However, it is less than 1 percent of Medicaid spending.

BROWN: And that's really what they seize on, because they said, oh, well, Democrats want to roll this back, these safeguards for that.

LUHBY: Right.

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BROWN: But, to be clear, the eligibility for that program hasn't changed.

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BROWN: Yes, go for it. Sorry, we're nerding out here over the facts, but go for it.

LUHBY: Yes.

So, yes, what the bill would have also have done is reduce funding for emergency Medicaid for certain states, particularly states that expanded Medicaid.

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BROWN: Right. OK. But, to be clear, the eligibility for that program hasn't changed.

LUHBY: No.

BROWN: So every hospital has to treat an undocumented immigrant, no matter what, right, under the EMTALA law, correct?

LUHBY: Yes.

BROWN: So the eligible -- so they're still going to get the treatment no matter what?

LUHBY: Yes. Yes, they are going to get the treatment. Somebody is going to pay for it, be the hospital, the state, maybe the undocumented immigrant if they have the funds, if the hospital tries to come after them. But, typically, they don't have a lot of money.

So, yes, the bill would have reduced the -- well, the bill does reduce, the One Big Beautiful Bill does reduce federal payments to certain states for this Emergency Medicaid program. But, yes, as you say, it does not eliminate the Emergency Medicaid program. It does not change the eligibility for the Emergency Medicaid program.

And hospitals do still have to treat anyone who comes in, in an emergency, including undocumented immigrants.

BROWN: Right. And they would use that Medicaid funding if it was available to them, if that undocumented immigrant met certain criteria. LUHBY: Yes.

BROWN: All right, Tami Luhby, thank you very much for bringing the facts. We appreciate it.

And we will be right back.

LUHBY: Thank you.

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We're going to get back to the sentencing hearing in New York that's under way involving Sean "Diddy" Combs right now.

And just a moment or so ago, one of the prosecutors, Christy Slavik, said this, "accountability for the defendant who committed serious federal crimes repeatedly over the course of 15 years," she said.

That's ongoing.

Laura Coates, our anchor and chief legal analyst, is with us right now. She's outside the courthouse for us.

What's your reaction to that, Laura?

LAURA COATES, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: This is the moment everyone's been waiting for to figure out where on this wide spectrum, where there is a huge disparity between what the defense is asking for, 14 months, and what the prosecution believes is appropriate, upwards of 11 years.

And then you have got what has been provided to the judge as a presentence report recommendation of five to seven years, where the probation office believes that's the appropriate sentence. We heard just moments ago the judge saying that he does not see any need to depart from the sentencing guidelines as of an issue, almost intimating and setting some managed expectations about that range that that is possible from what was provided to him in that presentence report.

We do not know what the ultimate conclusion will be, but the prosecution has gone after Sean Combs, not only for what they see as a lack of remorse, but for a statement that he made during the course of his written letter, three pages where he talks about the burden of having to know that he is somebody who has committed domestic violence.

She said it's been victim blaming, that he is almost making himself a victim in this scenario and believes that what he has told the court is essentially performative and lip service. Now, the judge is going to balance a whole host of factors, Wolf, including what Diddy has said in his letter, what victim impact statements have been given, including from Cassie Ventura and her parents. Cassie has talked about her fear of him, retaliation. And in a

poignant moment from her own parents, because her mother, of course, testified at trial, saying that the length asked for by the prosecution, about 11 years, is about the same amount of time that her own daughter suffered abuse at the hands of Sean "Diddy" Combs and finds that more appropriate.

Now, we're told that this might go into a lot longer, for the afternoon, but this seems to be moving along, and those managed expectations of the guideline range of not an upward or lowered departure from that standard is what we're all focusing on now.

BLITZER: All right, Laura, stand by. We're going to get back to you. We're watching this hearing unfold and we're updating our viewers moment -- every minute with all the latest developments.

The latest information we're getting, Christy Slavik, the prosecutor in this case, just said as she finished her presentation for the government that the defense will begin after a short break, another short break that's coming up inside the courtroom.

I want to go back to our analysts, Elie Honig and Elliot Williams.

It's interesting. I'm reading the letter that he released overnight, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and he starts with these sentences. "First and foremost," he says, "I want to apologize and say how sincerely sorry I am for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused others by my conduct. I take full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs."

That sounds to me like he's confessing to these crimes.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: So he's confessing just something, but not necessarily to these crimes.

Now, there's a dance going on here, because one of the most important factors any judge will take into consideration at sentencing is acceptance of responsibility. Has this defendant owned up? Is he actually remorseful?

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Now, the easy case, most cases, you have a guilty plea, the defendant admits his guilt, no trial, comes in at sentencing, says, I'm so sorry for what I have done. He gets that credit downward on his sentence.

The other extreme is, the defendant goes to trial, is convicted, comes up for sentencing, and says, I maintain my innocence. Absolutely, I apologize for nothing. I did nothing wrong.

Here, we're in the middle. And what Sean Combs is trying to say in that letter is, I acknowledge I have done some very bad things. But what he's stopping short of saying, and -- is this, and I am guilty of the crime that I was convicted of, interstate prostitution, trafficking. And the reason for that is he's trying to keep his powder dry for

appeal. If you admit you're guilty of what you have been convicted of, it really limits what you can do on appeal.

BLITZER: He goes on to say this, Elliot: "This has been the hardest two years of my life, and I have no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself. In my life, I have made many mistakes, but I am no longer running from them. I am so sorry for the hurt that I caused, but I understand that the mere words I'm sorry will never be good enough, as these words alone cannot erase the pain from the past."

This is the opening sentences in this letter overnight to the judge.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Sure, they are apology-adjacent, Wolf, I think is the best way to put it.

And I think, picking up on some of the things that Elie had said, he has clearly expressed contrition, sorrow, asked for sympathy, any number of things that are quite human in that letter. What he has not done, whether this is pedantic or not, but he has not said, I trafficked people, I did it, I was convicted of it, and I was sorry.

That would be, along the lines of what Elie was saying, the full- throated acceptance of responsibility that some judges and some prosecutors might be looking for. Now, he's saying he's done bad things. If you read his sentencing submissions, he doesn't ever fully admit to the offense, and also leans on, well, I was abused. I suffer -- I have drug abuse problems throughout my life, and these things led me to the person I am today. I'm sorry for the bad things I have done.

However, it's a little bit squishy, at least in terms of an apology. The judge can consider it. It's relevant. It's interesting. It's humanizing. But it doesn't quite -- a judge could easy look at it and say that it's not quite a full acceptance of responsibility.

BLITZER: Yes. And we're getting the latest information from inside the courtroom. It's packed with reporters, Combs' supporters, including family members, members of the public, and the prosecutor's office.

We're going to take another quick break, resume our special coverage right after this.

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BROWN: All right, welcome back to our special coverage.

I want to go out to Laura Coates. She's been sitting outside of that courtroom. We have two reporters inside who are giving us all the updates on your screen.

Laura, we're going to get to the top headlines in just a moment, but, first, I want to ask you about what the prosecution said. The prosecution get up there -- got up there and said today that "The defendant doesn't appreciate or understand the gravity of his criminal conduct" and then went on to say that Combs has booked speaking engagements in Miami for next week, going on to say: "That is the height of hubris, Your Honor."

What do we know about that?

COATES: I mean, jaws dropped at that moment thinking about what might that mean. Is that real? We do not have independent confirmation that he in fact has booked speaking engagements for next week.

But I'm sure the court will look at this, the idea of the assumptions that he believes he might be able to be released. Now, remember, his attorneys are asking for 14 -- 11 -- excuse me -- 14 months; 11 years is what the prosecution wants, which would place him, if the judge agreed with him, the end of the year before he actually got out.

So I'm not sure what reference they're making in that vein. But, ultimately, they're trying to paint a picture as the prosecution of somebody who is not remorseful, who is giving lip service, who is victim-blaming, and also trying to be seen himself as a victim.

That combination, the prosecution hopes the judge will see and then will punish him accordingly. Remember, though, this judge has managed some expectations here, Pam, about what sentence he might ultimately hand down. But, believe you me, if there is a defendant who believes that they will have a speaking engagement next week and that this is a sort of a pro forma just rubber-stamp moment to get him out of jail today, a judge will not take that too kindly.

BROWN: Wolf.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting. When we watch all of this unfold right now, do we have any sense at all, Laura, when we think this judge will finally make a final decision?

COATES: You know, earlier today, we were told that there might be a very expansive presentation of evidence or statements that were being made from the prosecution and defense team, a video that would be played.

We were told that we might expect longer into the afternoon and possibly a final decision on Monday. I got to tell you, it has been since July that this judge has known that this date is coming, and every part of it says the judge has a very strong inkling of where he wants to go, and the final pieces are the remorse, the accountability, the authenticity of statements that are made, of course, and statements that are coming in.

So I'm sure he has an idea of where he wants to go, but we already know that at least one person is not going to be speaking. And that is Mia, a person who testified on the stand as a former employee of Sean "Diddy" Combs who alleged sexual assault and abuse. She no longer is going to speak today.

The prosecution team went in on Diddy and his team, believing that they were the reason she chose not to. Why? Because of statements that they made in their letter to the court that they viewed as bullying. Specifically, and I'm paraphrasing here, they referenced that everything that came out of her mouth was a lie and that today was going to yet another opportunity to do so, but there were consequences of lying to a jury. They don't believe you.

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The judge called it inappropriate and the tone all wrong. So we will see what he ultimately decides today. There's one person inside who is working with bated breath -- waiting with bated breath to see what will happen.

And that is Sean "Diddy" Combs, who will have a chance to speak today, and we're told he will take it.

BLITZER: We will hear what he has to say.

The defense attorney for Combs, Jason Driscoll, is beginning his presentation right now. He says he will be addressing sentencing disparities. And we know the prosecution is seeking 11 years in prison. The defense says no more than 14 months.

And that would be maybe another month, given the fact of what he has already served awaiting trial and all of that.

That's it for us this hour. Thanks very much for joining us. You can always keep up with us on social media @WolfBlitzer and @PamelaBrownCNN. We will see you, of course, back here Monday morning 10:00 a.m. Eastern -- Pamela.

BROWN: And "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash continues our special coverage of the Sean Combs sentencing right after this.

Have a great weekend, everyone.