Bill Maher Says Cassie Could Have Left Diddy But She Made Devil's Deal

Diddy's defense team may just play Bill Maher's closing argument to the jury ... because the way he sees it, Cassie had an option to leave but she decided to stick around.

The 'Real Time' host was blunt ... he says women now have options they never had before. Abusers are now going to prison, cops are listening to them, and they are emboldened. As Maher puts it, the solution is simple ... "If you're being abused, you've got to leave right away."

He acknowledges Diddy's a bad guy who should be behind bars, but not necessarily for his relationship with Cassie. Bill ticks off various texts from Cassie to Diddy in which she talks about being down for freak offs, calling it "enthusiastic consent."

And then Bill goes deep into defense territory, saying Cassie was getting something out of her relationship with Diddy so it was her choice to stay ... "If you want a #1 album on the charts so bad, you'll take a #1 to the face, and some of that's on you."