A White Home official on Tuesday pushed again on a report that President Donald Trump is contemplating commuting Sean “Diddy” Combs’ jail sentence as quickly as this week.
TMZ reported on Monday that the president was “vacillating” on a commutation for the music mogul, citing a “high-ranking White Home official.”
“There’s zero reality to the TMZ report, which we’d’ve gladly defined had they reached out earlier than operating their pretend information,” the official informed NBC Information in a press release. “The President, not nameless sources, is the ultimate decider on pardons and commutations.”
Casey Carver, a spokesperson for TMZ, stated in a quick assertion: “We stand by our story.”
Legal professionals for Combs didn’t instantly return a request for remark in regards to the disparity between the White Home assertion and TMZ’s reporting. Nevertheless, Combs’ legal professionals have beforehand informed NBC Information they’ve been pursuing a pardon for his or her consumer.
Combs was convicted in July on two counts of transportation to interact in prostitution, however was acquitted on extra damning fees of racketeering and intercourse trafficking. On Oct. 3, a federal judge sentenced him to 50 months in prison, fined him $500,000 and ordered 5 years of supervised launch.
He pleaded not responsible and has maintained his innocence.
On Aug. 1, Trump was asked about potentially pardoning Combs in an interview with Newsmax.
“You understand, I used to be very pleasant with him. I received together with him nice and appeared like a pleasant man. I didn’t know him effectively,” Trump stated. “However after I ran for workplace, he was very hostile.”
When requested if he was suggesting that he would not pardon Combs, Trump stated, “I’d say so.”
“If you knew somebody and also you have been tremendous, and you then run for workplace, and he made some horrible statements. So, I don’t know, it’s tougher,” Trump stated. “Makes it extra — I’m being trustworthy, it makes it tougher to do.”
Trump has issued a number of controversial pardons and commutations in his second time period as president.
In January, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants in reference to the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In Might, Trump pardoned the imprisoned actuality tv couple, Todd and Julie Chrisley.
And final week, Trump commuted the sentence of former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., after the disgraced congressman pleaded guilty to fees of committing wire fraud and aggravated id theft.
Combs has requested to serve out his sentence at Federal Correctional Establishment Fort Dix, a low-security federal jail in New Jersey, however the Bureau of Prisons has but to approve the request.
Along with the 50-month sentence, the rapper faces strict conditions upon his supervised release, in line with court docket paperwork filed within the weeks after his sentencing. Among the many circumstances is that he attends common conferences together with his probation officer and chorus from drug use, with a drug check taken inside 15 days after his launch and two periodic assessments after that timeframe, in line with the seven-page submitting.
Combs should additionally take part in an outpatient program that features testing, an outpatient psychological well being therapy program and an accepted program for home violence, the submitting states.
Legal professionals for Combs filed a discover of enchantment in federal court docket on Monday, aiming to overturn the music mogul’s conviction and sentence. A Justice Division consultant didn’t instantly return a request for touch upon the anticipated discover.
Daniel Arkin contributed.
