On September 29, Georgian language Facebook users (1, 2) that regularly amplify disinformation shared a video about U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The authors claim that the footage shows a relationship between Harris and the arrested rapper P. Diddy.
The claim that the video depicts Kamala Harris and P. Diddy is disinformation. The man seen with her in the footage is not the arrested rapper P. Diddy but television personality Montel Williams.
The video shared by the Facebook users contains an English caption that reads, “Kamala Harris’ Diddy tweets and dating history resurface.” The video was originally published by the Daily Mail on September 24.
In fact, the man in the footage is television host Montel Williams, not rapper P. Diddy. The video was originally released several years ago by the American media outlet Inside Edition. The footage was filmed in 2001 at the annual “Race to Erase MS” event, a charity focused on treating central nervous system disorders. In 2019, Montel Williams confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that he and Harris dated 20 years ago, and neither of them was involved with anyone else at the time. Williams also questioned whether the media would have written about Harris’ romantic relationships if the genders were reversed. This video has been circulated before, with the false claim that Kamala Harris provided sexual services to elites.
As for Harris’ “tweets” mentioned in the text overlaid on the video, after P. Diddy’s arrest, the media shared a 2020 statement from Harris on X, where she thanked the rapper. Harris expressed gratitude to Diddy for hosting an online event discussing how the COVID-19 pandemic revealed racial inequality in the U.S. According to the fact-checking organization Snopes, besides this statement, there is no other public evidence of a relationship between Harris and the rapper.
Rapper P. Diddy, also known as Sean Combs, was arrested in New York on September 17. He is accused of kidnapping women, drugging them, and forcing them into sexual activity (sometimes with the use of firearms and threats of violence). In September, police searched his home, where he had hosted various parties. Reportedly, items used during “Freak Outs” (orgies) were seized from the location, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil. The rapper denies all allegations. In the past, several women have accused Sean Combs of sexual assault.
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