According to a New York Times report published on Friday (Nov. 15), David Holmes, who worked at the United States Embassy in Kiev, privately confirmed to investigators that he overheard a phone call on July 26 in which European Union ambassador Gordon Sondland and the president discussed the imprisonment of A$AP Rocky, a.k.a. Rakim Mayers, following his arrest in Sweden this summer.
Mayers was arrested in Stockholm on assault charges following an altercation on July 3, and was subsequently imprisoned for nearly five weeks. He was convicted of assault on Aug. 14, a decision Rocky was "disappointed" about, but chose not to appeal.
Though the bulk of the Times report focuses on Trump and Sondland's discussion as to whether or not the Ukrainian government would agree to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, they also discussed Mayers' situation. According to Holmes' testimony, Sondland reportedly said that the rapper “should have pled guilty" to the charges of assault, and that the President should “let him get sentenced, play the racism card, give him a ticker-tape [parade] when he comes home." (Billboard has reached out to Mayers' representative for comment.)
Trump, who has responded to Kim Kardashian's efforts regarding prison reform in the past, spoke with her about Mayers' imprisonment and was vocal about his legal woes on Twitter. Holmes' testimony claims that Sondland reportedly referred to this relationship, noting that Trump could "tell the Kardashians you tried.”
A$AP Rocky announced on Nov. 8 that he'll be returning to Sweden next month, and will perform at Stockholm's Ericsson Globe on Dec. 11.
