Trump Not Considering Pardon For Officer Convicted In George Floyd’s Death

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,

President Donald Trump said March 7 that he is not considering pardoning Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer serving a multi-decade sentence on a range of charges related to the 2020 death of George Floyd.

A reporter told Trump in the Oval Office that  “your allies are calling on you to pardon Derek Chauvin,” before asking whether he’s considering a presidential pardon.

“No, I haven’t even heard about it,” the president replied. “No. I haven’t heard that.”

Trump’s remarks come in the context of a petition launched this week by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who called for a presidential pardon for Chauvin, who is serving a 22½-year sentence for unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter.

Floyd’s final moments were captured on video, as Chauvin restrained him with a knee to the neck or upper back area while attempting to arrest him for using a counterfeit $20 bill at a store.

“As you know, this was the inciting event for the [Black Lives Matter] riots that caused $2 billion in property damage in cities across the United States and set America’s race relations on their worst footing in recent memory,” Shapiro’s petition reads.

“Yet the evidence demonstrates that Derek Chauvin did not murder George Floyd.”

Two autopsies were conducted after George Floyd’s death. The official autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner concluded Floyd died from cardiopulmonary arrest due to law enforcement restraint and neck compression, classifying it as homicide. It noted contributing factors such as heart disease, fentanyl intoxication, and methamphetamine use, but did not list them as the primary cause.

The report also found no life-threatening injuries to Floyd, including no evidence of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation, though experts have noted that neck compression can still be fatal without leaving clear physical marks.

An independent autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family determined he died from asphyxiation due to sustained pressure on his neck and back. It also ruled the death a homicide but emphasized that police restraint was the sole cause, without highlighting preexisting conditions or drug use as significant factors.

Speaking on his radio show, Shapiro highlighted the fact that drugs were present in Floyd’s system and that he had heart disease, both of which have been confirmed by the official autopsy.

“George Floyd was high on fentanyl; he had a significant pre-existing heart condition,” Shapiro said. 

“George Floyd was saying he could not breathe before he was even out of the car. He was in the car saying he could not breathe.”

Shapiro argued that there was massive pressure on the jury to find Chauvin guilty—including from top government officials including former President Joe Biden—and that “there was no opportunity for blind justice to work” in the case.

Chauvin is serving concurrent sentences on state and federal charges, with a potential presidential pardon only applying to the federal case. He has appealed his conviction multiple times, in all instances unsuccessfully.

In November 2023, Chauvin was stabbed by a fellow inmate, a former gang leader and one-time FBI informant.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who prosecuted Chauvin, said after the stabbing that he was “sad to hear that Derek Chauvin was the target of violence.”

“He was duly convicted of his crimes and, like any incarcerated individual, he should be able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation or violence,” Ellison said.

Following Shapiro’s call for Trump to pardon the former Minnesota police officer, Ellison told CNN that the convictions against Chauvin are “solid” and that a pardon would represent “blatant disrespect for the law.”