The White House on Tuesday denied claims in a reprot that President Donald Trump is considering commuting Sean “Diddy” Combs’ prison sentence as early as this week.
The administration accused TMZ of fabricating the story.
“There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we would’ve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news,” the White House reportedly said in a statement.
“The President, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations,” the statement added.
The entertainment news site, which originally reported the story on Monday citing a “high-ranking White House official,” stood by its reporting, saying, “The White House Communications Office is saying our story is not true. We stand by our story. Our story is accurate.”
Diddy’s request for clemency
Combs’ representatives have informally expressed interest in a Presidential pardon following his sentencing earlier this month.
Trump acknowledged Combs’ request during a press briefing on October 6. “A lot of people have asked me for pardons,” Trump said. “I call him Puff Daddy; he has asked me for a pardon.”
Combs’ conviction
Combs, arrested in September 2024 on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution, was acquitted of the most serious charges in July but convicted on two prostitution counts.
On October 3, he was sentenced to 50 months in prison, fined $500,000, and ordered to serve five years of supervised release. Combs has been held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.