5:40 PM PT — Diddy’s authorized representatives have informed TMZ … “Our communications, both written and verbal, with CNN’s legal team have been unequivocal – they have destroyed the original video file they received from their source.”

CNN is strongly rejecting the assertions made by Diddy’s legal team, which claimed that the news network manipulated the footage depicting him assaulting Cassie in a hotel corridor, and subsequently destroyed the only known copy of this critical video evidence.

A CNN spokesperson has conveyed to TMZ … “We want to clarify that CNN never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage, which remains in possession of the source. Additionally, CNN reported on the video story several months prior to Combs’ arrest.”

We broke the story … Diddy’s defense team asserted on Thursday through new court documents that CNN acquired the video showing Diddy assaulting Cassie in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, raising questions about the network’s handling of sensitive footage.

Diddy’s representatives allege that CNN took the only known copy of the hotel’s surveillance footage, utilized free editing software to alter the video, and then destroyed the original footage, a claim that raises serious ethical questions about media practices in reporting sensitive incidents.

However, CNN maintains that Diddy’s legal team is entirely mistaken regarding their assertions.

The footage of the Cassie beating incident was released in May 2024, just months before federal authorities arrested Diddy. Following the release of this impactful video on CNN, Diddy posted an apology video addressing the incident.