Alice Stewart, a longtime political strategist and CNN political pundit who worked on multiple Republican presidential campaigns, has died. She was 58. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer joins Jessica Dean to reflect on Stewart as a friend and coworker.

According to law enforcement officials, Stewart’s body was discovered outside in the Belle View community of northern Virginia early Saturday morning. There is no indication of foul play, and officers assume a medical emergency occurred.

“Alice was a very dear friend and colleague to all of us at CNN,” CNN’s CEO Mark Thompson wrote in an email to employees Saturday. “A political veteran and Emmy Award-winning journalist who brought an exceptional spark to CNN’s coverage, known throughout our bureaus not only for her political acumen, but also for her unfailing kindness. Our emotions are heavy as we lament such a great loss.”

Alice Stewart was born March 11, 1966, in Atlanta.

Stewart began her career as a local reporter and producer in Georgia before relocating to Little Rock, Arkansas, to become a news anchor, she told Harvard International Review. She went on to work as the communications director for then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee before taking on a similar role for his presidential campaign in 2008.

She previously worked as the communications director for former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann’s 2012 Republican presidential campaign, as well as former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a former CNN analyst. Stewart most recently served as the communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 GOP campaign.

“Alice was wonderful, talented, and a dear friend,” Cruz wrote in a post on X. “She lived every day to the fullest, and she will be deeply missed.”

CNN hired Stewart as a political pundit ahead of the 2016 election, and she appeared on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” as recently as Friday to provide insight on the day’s political headlines.

“We always invited her to come on my show because we knew we would be a little bit smarter at the end of that conversation,” Blitzer stated to Jessica Dean on “CNN Newsroom.” “She helped our viewers better appreciate what was going on and that’s why we will miss her so much.”

Alice Stewart: A Very Special Woman Dead at 58

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Sean “Diddy” Combs will not face charges in connection with a 2016 video that appears to show him abusing then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel.

“We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” the office of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón posted on Instagram Friday (May 17). “If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”

Combs appears to push Ventura to the ground near an elevator bank, kick her multiple times while she is on the ground, and pull her down a hallway in the footage, which CNN received on March 5, 2016.

According to the statement, law enforcement has not presented the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office with “a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime to report it to law enforcement or reach out to our office for support from our Bureau of Victims Services.”

The video’s contents resemble an assault complaint Ventura made in a now-settled lawsuit against Diddy in November, in which she also claimed one incidence of rape and another of Combs forcing her to have sex with male sex workers while he masturbated.

“The gut-wrenching video has only confirmed Mr. Combs’ disturbing and predatory behavior,” said Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, in a statement to Billboard. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

Ventura and Combs had an on-and-off romance for 11 years until splitting in 2018. In the lawsuit, she claimed she met Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37. After signing with his Bad Boy Records company, Ventura alleged that Combs “lured” her into a sexual relationship in which he “asserted complete control” over her life.

Combs has faced four further sexual misconduct complaints after Ventura filed hers late last year. The entrepreneur resigned as chairman of his digital media business Revolt in November, and he reportedly sold his interest in the company in March. Also in March, federal officials raided Combs’ houses in Los Angeles and Miami “in connection” with a federal sex trafficking probe, CNN reported.

Combs has flatly denied all allegations of sexual assault leveled against him. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” he declared in a statement shared on social media on December 6. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs

Sean “Diddy” Combs is a multi-talented mogul who has made his mark in music, fashion, and business. Born in Harlem, he began his career as a talent director at Uptown Records. Combs later created his own label, Bad Boy Records, which launched the careers of musicians such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige.

His debut album, “No Way Out,” achieved multi-platinum success, cementing his reputation as a rapper and producer. Diddy expanded his business interests, launching the apparel line Sean John and investing in beverage businesses such as Ciroc and DeLeon. With an estimated net worth of $900 million, he is one of hip-hop’s wealthiest individuals.

Combs is a presence in Hollywood, appearing in films and television series while also influencing music and society. His commercial savvy, paired with his musical talents, have elevated him to the status of rap icon.

Source: Billboard

 

Los Angeles — CNN’s security footage purports to show Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel corridor in 2016, the latest in a months-long sequence of public allegations and discoveries of physical and sexual abuse by the hip-hop entrepreneur.

The footage, which debuted on Friday, shows Combs striking and kicking the R&B singer, his protege and long-term girlfriend. The video also shows Combs pushing and dragging Cassie and hurling a vase at her.

Video Appears To Show Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Beating Singer Cassie In Hotel Hallway In 2016

The security camera video, dated March 5, 2016, closely resembles the description of an incident at an InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles’ Century City neighborhood described in a November lawsuit filed by Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, who claimed years of sexual abuse and other violence from Combs.

The lawsuit claims Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security footage. CNN could not specify how it received the video but did state that it validated the location by comparing it to publicly available photographs of the InterContinental Hotel.

Cassie’s complaint was resolved the day it was filed, but it prompted intensive scrutiny of Combs, with numerous additional claims filed in the months that followed, as well as a federal criminal sex-trafficking probe that led investigators to raid Combs’ residences in Los Angeles and Miami.

Representatives for Combs did not immediately respond to the video, but he has previously rejected the allegations in the lawsuits, and his lawyers have stated that he rejects all wrongdoing and would fight to prove his innocence.

“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed Mr. Combs’ disturbing and predatory behavior,” said Douglas Wigdor, Cassie’s attorney, who has filed earlier complaints against him. “Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

The Associated Press normally does not identify persons who claim to have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Ventura has.

According to the lawsuit, Combs became “extremely intoxicated” earlier that evening and hit Ventura, resulting in a black eye. According to the lawsuit, she attempted to depart after he fell asleep. This appears to be the beginning of the video. Ventura can be seen walking towards a bank of elevators with a packed backpack.

The suit claims Combs awoke and began screaming at her, following her down the corridor.

In the video, he forcibly grabs her and yanks her to the ground before kicking her and throwing vases at her.

Video Appears To Show Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Beating Singer Cassie In Hotel Hallway In 2016

According to the lawsuit, she managed to flee but later returned for fear of further violence. The suit claims that hotel workers pushed her to return to her apartment when she returned. She would run and seek refuge with a friend in Florida.

The lawsuit claims Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security footage.

It is doubtful that Combs will face criminal charges for the attack. In California, the statute of limitations for assault or battery ranges from one to three years, depending on whether the offense is charged as a misdemeanor or felony.

The tape was released just as Combs and his legal team began responding to the claims coming in steadily since November. They recently filed motions to dismiss portions of a complaint alleging he sexually attacked a woman in 1991, as well as the entire lawsuit alleging he and two other men raped a 17-year-old girl in 2003. According to the court pleadings, both sets of allegations are baseless.

On March 25, Homeland Security Investigations executed search warrants on Combs’ houses in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking investigation. His lawyer described it as “a gross use of military-level force.” The investigation is continuing. Combs hasn’t been charged.

Combs, a three-time Grammy winner and the founder of Bad Boy Records, is one of hip-hop’s most prominent producers and executives during the last three decades. He parlayed his hip-hop fame into a larger economic empire encompassing private-label spirits, clothes, and a television network. Since the charges surfaced, he has had to stand down from several of his corporate positions.

Video Appears To Show Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Beating Singer Cassie In Hotel Hallway In 2016

He and Ventura started dating in 2007, dating intermittently for over ten years.

She became well-known for her hit single “Me & U,” which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart 2006. The song was the main single from her self-titled and only studio album.

She has acted in numerous television episodes and films, including Fox’s “Empire,” “Step Up 2: The Streets,” and “Spenser Confidential.”

SOURCE – (AP)