US President Donald Trump stated on Friday (March 7) that he is not considering a pardon for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the 2020 murder of George Floyd. When asked by a reporter in the Oval Office about the possibility of issuing a pardon, Trump responded, “No, I haven’t even heard about it, no. I haven’t heard of that.”
Ben Shapiro’s petition for pardon
Conservative media personality Ben Shapiro has launched a petition urging Trump to pardon Derek Chauvin. In a letter addressed to the President, Shapiro wrote, “We write to urge you to immediately issue a pardon for Officer Derek Chauvin, who was unjustly convicted and is currently serving a 22-and-a-half year sentence for the murder of George Floyd and associated federal charges.”
Shapiro also argued that George Floyd’s cause of death was not solely due to Chauvin’s actions. “George Floyd was high on fentanyl; he had a significant pre-existing heart condition,” he said. “George Floyd was saying he could not breathe before he was even out of the car.”
Legal implications of a pardon
Trump would only have the power to pardon Chauvin’s 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. However, now Chauvin would still serve his 22.5-year state prison sentence following his conviction for murder and manslaughter.
Nationwide impact of Floyd’s death
George Floyd’s death in 2020, captured on video, ignited months of protests across the United States. “I can’t breathe,” Floyd pleaded as Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly 10 minutes. The widespread demonstrations led to civil unrest, including the burning of a Minneapolis police precinct and damage to government buildings near the White House.
