Joe Budden believes Tory Lanez was set up in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting case and that Meg is a “pawn” in the whole ordeal.

Joe Budden Thinks Tory Lanez Was Set Up But Megan Thee Stallion Didn’t Make Up Her Story

The latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast dropped on Wednesday (July 31). During a portion of the show, Budden and his cast of co-hosts discussed a recently released statement from Tory Lanez’s driver, Jauquan Smith, who was present at the time of the July 2020 shooting that left Megan Thee Stallion injured.

The conversation led Joe Budden to explain that in his opinion, unnamed higher-ups set up Tory in the case. He was asked why Megan Thee Stallion would lie over the fact that Tory Lanez was the one who pulled the trigger.

“First of all, I think it’s above her,” Joe Budden replies in the audio clip below. “I don’t think she made it up. It’s above her. She’s a mere pawn in this. This play is greater than her. She didn’t make nothing up.”

Without naming names, Budden continues by implying that the gun may have been planted in Tory Lanez’s car and that he knows who was responsible for it. “I ain’t gon’ say who I think made it up but it wasn’t her … Actually, ni**gas out there know who it is. I ain’t saying it on this broadcast but I know exactly who it is, I know how that gun got there, I know who gun it was,” Joe says.

He then adds to his theory by referencing a private chat he had with Megan Thee Stallion’s former friend, Kelsey Harris, who was a key witness in the shooting case. “And I thought it was weird that the last time we talked about this sh*t, Kelsey [Harris] jumped in my DMs talking ’bout, ‘Hey, don’t talk about this no more.’ Why? You got immunity. It’s odd. Why wouldn’t you want somebody to talk about one of the biggest cases in however many years? That was odd to me.”

XXL has reached out to Megan Thee Stallion’s team for a statement on the matter.

Read More: Tory Lanez Fans Taunt Megan Thee Stallion by Screaming “Free Tory” at Her as She Walks By

Statement From Tory Lanez’s Driver Places Gun in Kelsey Harris’ Hands

Joe Budden’s claims arrive directly on the heels of a statement released earlier this week from Tory Lanez’s driver, Jauquan Smith. In December of 2023, Smith’s statement was included in a habeas petition filed by Lanez’s attorney. The driver claims that he saw Meg’s friend Kelsey Harris holding the gun used in the shooting. He also stated that he did not see Tory pull the trigger.

Despite an attempt from Tory’s legal team to use Jauquan Smith’s statement as new evidence in the case, the California Attorney General’s Office is arguing that Lanez and his attorneys previously knew about Smith’s statement. According to legal affairs reporter Meghann Cuniff, Deputy Attorney General Michael C. Keller is suggesting to the court that Smith’s statement doesn’t qualify as new evidence and should not be used to potentially overturn Tory Lanez’s conviction. Lanez was convicted in December of 2022.

Read More: Megan Thee Stallion Puts Her Support Behind Presidential Hopeful Kamala Harris by Performing at Rally

In the audio clip below, listen to Joe Budden claim that Megan Thee Stallion is a “pawn” and that Tory Lanez was the victim of a setup in the shooting case.

Listen to Joe Budden Claim Tory Lanez Was Set Up and Megan Thee Stallion Is a Pawn

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