A spokesperson for the White House has issued a response to TMZ's report that claimed Donald Trump was considering a pardon for Diddy, earlier this week. In a statement provided to NBC News, the official countered that there is "zero truth" to the idea of the President weighing a pardon for the disgraced music industry mogul.
"There is zero truth to the TMZ report, which we would’ve gladly explained had they reached out before running their fake news," the official told the outlet. "The President, not anonymous sources, is the final decider on pardons and commutations."
Regardless of the statement, TMZ spokesperson Casey Carver stood by the story when reached for comment by NBC News. They told the outlet: “We stand by our story.” In the initial report, TMZ staff wrote: "According to our source, the President is 'vacillating' on a commutation. We're told some of the W.H. staff are urging Trump not to commute the sentence. But, our source states the obvious -- 'Trump will do what he wants,' and we're told Trump could set Diddy free as early as this week."
Diddy's Prison Sentence
Diddy is currently behind bars after Judge Arun Subramanian issued him a 50-month sentence. The decision came after a jury found him guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in his high-profile criminal trial. In addition to the prison time, he must also pay a $500,000 fine.
The latest rumors about Donald Trump allegedly considering a pardon for Diddy come after the President previously weighed in on the case, earlier this year. Back in May, before the conviction, Trump said he would "certainly look at the facts," when asked about the idea of a pardon, as caught by NBC News. Speaking with Newsmax back in August, however, he suggested that a pardon was likely off the table. "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."
