Multiple political figures are calling for California Governor Gavin Newsom to consider clemency for rapper Tory Lanez, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence after being convicted in 2022 for shooting Megan Thee Stallion.
Former New Jersey Assemblyman Jamel Holley and White House appointee Jack Brewer are among those publicly supporting a pardon. Holley submitted a formal petition on July 3, calling Lanez’s conviction “a grave injustice” and urging Governor Newsom to review the case. Brewer also took to social media to voice support, framing the matter as part of a broader discussion on criminal justice reform. “If Tory was an illegal alien there would be protests in the streets,” Brewer wrote. “It’s not right.”
The effort is part of a renewed campaign by Lanez’s legal team, which includes a public petition and claims of new evidence. In May, the rapper’s attorneys held a press conference asserting that additional information could exonerate him. Lanez was reportedly injured in an altercation with another inmate earlier this year, which further elevated public attention around his incarceration.
Critics of the clemency campaign, including Megan Thee Stallion’s attorneys, argue the focus should remain on the facts established during trial. Attorney Alex Spiro released a statement condemning the political involvement. “The Tory Lanez case is a case of a violent crime with an unlicensed firearm against a defenseless woman who was shot multiple times,” Spiro said. “These politicians should have reviewed the evidence and thought about the crime’s survivor. But they didn’t.”
Attorney Mari Henderson also criticized Lanez’s legal team for what she described as a media-driven attempt to discredit the verdict. “This is someone trying to drum up media attention and conspiracy theorists to continue to harass and re-victimize Meg,” Henderson said in an interview with XXL. “She just wants to close this chapter of her life.”
Lanez was convicted by a jury and sentenced in Los Angeles County. His team has appealed the verdict, but the court has not issued a decision on that appeal at the time of reporting.
