Gossip site stands by story on possible Diddy commutation despite Trump White House denial

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Rapper Sean 'Diddy Combs' on the TODAY Show in 2023 (Image: Screengrab via TODAY / YouTube)

On Monday, gossip website TMZ reported that President Donald Trump was considering a pardon of disgraced music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who is currently serving a 50 month prison sentence. And, despite the White House pushing back against the claim, TMZ says it stands by its story, according to MSNBC.

Combs was convicted in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but was acquitted on the more damning charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.

Following Combs's sentencing, Trump was asked about a potential pardon for the rapper in an interview with Newsmax.

"You know, I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great and seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well," Trump said. "But when I ran for office, he was very hostile."

In the Monday report, TMZ said "that the president was 'vacillating' on a commutation for the music mogul, citing a 'high-ranking White House official'" as their source.

Combs' lawyers have previously told NBC News they have been pursuing a pardon for their client.

A spokesperson for the White House told NBC News in a statement that "there is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we would’ve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news. The President, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations."

On Friday, Trump sparked outrage when he commuted the prison sentence of disgraced former New York Representative George Santos, who was serving a 7-year sentence for federal fraud charges, but did not grant him a pardon.

TMZ, known for breaking stories on the deaths of major celebrities, shot down the White House denial.

"We stand by our story," Casey Carver, a spokesperson for TMZ, said in a brief statement.

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