Donald Trump Jr. has publicly defended Russell Brand following the comedian's conviction for rape and sexual assault, suggesting the case was politically motivated and linked to Brand's recent conversion to Christianity.
Brand was found guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others after a trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. He was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison. The offences took place between 2004 and 2009, while Brand was acquitted of other allegations of rape and sexual assault dating back to 1999.
Trump Jr's Claims of Political Motivation
In a video posted on Rumble on Tuesday, Trump Jr. said: "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. questioned the timeline of the allegations, noting that no forensic evidence, DNA, or police report from the time was presented. He added: "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. 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."
Criticism of the British Justice System
The 48-year-old businessman also criticised the length of Brand's prison term, questioning the British justice system. He said: "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."
He added: "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."
Other Celebrity Support
Other high-profile figures have also expressed support for Brand, including Elon Musk, who called the punishment "unjust", and Megyn Kelly, who described the conviction as a "political witch hunt" and called the jail term "insane".
Trump has not yet commented on Brand's conviction. However, a 2014 tweet by the president has resurfaced, in which he wrote: "@katyperry Katy, what the hell were you thinking when you married loser Russell Brand. There is a guy who has got nothing going, a waste!"
