Donald Trump Jr. claimed comedian Russell Brand was convicted of rape and sentenced to more than a decade in prison because of his religious conversion and embrace of conservative political views, according to a video posted to Rumble on Tuesday.
Speaking after Brand’s sentencing at Southwark Crown Court for rape and sexual assault, the 48-year-old son of President Donald Trump argued that the prosecution was politically motivated.
“He finds God, I guess, changes his ways, sees some aspects of conservative life, and talks about them, and now he's going to spend 10 and a half years in prison for rape when no one had a problem with it in the prior 27 years,” Trump Jr. said.
He questioned the timeframe of the allegations, which date back to 1999, as well as the evidence presented during the trial. However, London police confirmed following the verdict that detectives are currently “triaging” a fresh wave of reports from several new people who have come forward during and after the trial, while the Crown Prosecution Service is already reviewing two additional rape allegations.
“He was convicted, by the way, with no forensic evidence, no DNA, no police report from the time now decades old, on allegations dating back to 1999,” Trump Jr. said. “So, when he was like married to Katy Perry, he's one of the most famous actors in the world, no one seemed to have a problem. No one seemed to think he was a rapist then.”
He also criticized the length of the punishment, comparing Brand’s term to how British courts handle other crimes.
“This raises what I think are some pretty obvious questions about why his sentence was more severe than, I don't know, sentences handed to Muslim grooming gangs across the UK,” Trump Jr. said. “Every week we did a story about some kid getting raped in a tank by — oh, they just let him off with a slap on the wrist. We told him not to do it again. Russell gets to spend 10 and a half years in prison.”
Following his sentencing, Brand’s U.S.-based wellness business, Reborn, began selling $34.99 “Free Russell” T-shirts emblazoned with his image, featuring a statement from Brand accusing authorities of trying to “shut me up, shut me down, and squeeze me off every platform.”
Several high-profile figures have voiced support for the 51-year-old comedian.
Megyn Kelly described the conviction as a “political witch hunt” and characterized the term as “insane” on the Monday broadcast of “The Megyn Kelly Show.” Tech executive Elon Musk also addressed the outcome on X, replying to another user’s post to call the punishment “unjust.”
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