White House 'Not Tracking' R. Kelly Clemency Request — Though President Donald Trump Is 'the Ultimate Decider'

Disgraced R&B legend R. Kelly has officially requested a sentence commutation — not a full pardon — from President Donald Trump, but the White House says his request was “random” and that the POTUS remains “the ultimate decider.”

Public records from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney show that the 59-year-old singer submitted a formal petition for clemency.

Instead of asking for his convictions to be wiped clean via a pardon, his request seeks to reduce or slash his combined 31-year federal prison sentence for racketeering, s-- trafficking, and child sexual abuse.

In 2021, he was convicted in a Brooklyn federal court of leading a criminal enterprise that used his fame to prey on women and underage girls. The convictions on charges including sexual exploitation of children and forced labor resulted in a 30-year sentence. In 2022, he was convicted in a Chicago federal court on additional charges of child p---------- and enticing minors, which added another year to his total sentence.

While the application is officially listed as "pending" on the Department of Justice website, a White House official tells OK! that anyone can request a pardon and that Kelly’s isn’t receiving any special attention.

“This appears to be a random submission through the public portal, which anyone can submit an application through. The submission of a pardon request should not be interpreted to mean anything other than an individual has chosen to submit a request. The team that reviews clemency requests at the White House is not tracking this request at this time. The White House has a thorough review process for all clemency requests, with the President being the ultimate decider,” the White House press office said.

Kelly's attorney, Beau Brindley, has publicly argued that Trump possesses a "unique understanding of what it's like to be victimized by prosecution teams" and is the only person with the courage to intervene. This follows previous emergency motions by the legal team alleging misconduct and safety threats against Kelly at the federal facility in Butner, N.C.

Social media reacted furiously to the notion that Kelly would ever be considered for a pardon.

"Keep him in jail. He put so many women in danger, now it's his turn,” said one commenter. "H--- no, he needs to stay where he is,” said another.

Others remarked about the irony of Trump, who has faced accusations of sexual abuse and misconduct against him, potentially pardoning Kelly.

"His lawyer literally said Trump understands what it's like to be 'victimized' by the law. The hypocrisy of framing two men facing consequences for sexual misconduct as the real victims is insane,” said one.

Public records, unsealed legal documents, and civil lawsuits document various allegations, personal associations and a legal ruling regarding sexual misconduct, making such a pardon for the president a prickly predicament.

In 2016, an anonymous woman ("Jane Doe") filed a civil lawsuit alleging that Trump and Epstein had sexually abused her in 1994 when she was 13 years old.

Trump vigorously denied the accusation, calling it a fabrication.

The plaintiff later voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit before it went to trial, and no criminal charges were ever filed. However, legal experts say the claim was legitimate, and the accuser dropped the charges after receiving death threats.