Ben Shapiro calls on Trump to pardon ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin of federal crimes in George Floyd case
Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro announced Tuesday that he wants President Trump to pardon former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of all federal crimes in the May 2020 death of George Floyd.
āThe Ben Shapiro Showā host has launched a petition backing a public letter to Trump, 78, contending that Chauvin, now 48, was āunjustly convictedā of Floydās killing, which led to riots on cities across the US and a national reckoning on the issues of race and policing.
A local jury in Minnesota found Chauvin guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in April 2021 and later sentenced him to 22.5 years in prison.
The following year, Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to two violations of federal civil rights law, one in connection with Floydās death and one related to Chauvinās 2017 arrest of a 14-year-old.
A pardon by Trump would only erase the federal charges against Chauvin, who is currently behind bars at a low-security facility in Texas.
āThere was massive overt pressure on the [Minnesota] jury to return a guilty verdict regardless of the evidence or any semblance of impartial deliberation,ā Shapiro wrote in the letter.Ā
āThis pressure took the form of threats, coercion, and intimidation,ā he continued, faulting politicians for publicly prejudging the case. āThere was no opportunity for blind justice to work, and a man is now rotting in prison because of it.ā
āMake no mistake,ā Shapiro went on, āthe Derek Chauvin conviction represents the defining achievement of the Woke movement in American politics.ā
On May 25, 2020, Chauvin confronted Floyd after a store clerk accused him of trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill.
During the ensuing confrontation, Floyd fell to the ground, after which Chauvin was recorded with his knee on Floydās neck for roughly nine minutes.
During the encounter, Floyd was repeatedly heard saying he could not breathe, including before he fell to the ground.
Floyd, who was motionless and had no pulse for the final moments of the encounter, was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
āGeorge Floyd was high on fentanyl; he had a significant pre-existing heart condition,ā Shapiro argued on his radio show. āGeorge 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.ā
āDerek Chauvin, for large segments of even the tape that was shown, had his knee on George Floydās shoulder or back, not on his neck,ā Shapiro added. āThe autopsy of George Floyd showed that he had no damage to his trachea, that probably George Floyd died of excited delirium.ā
The conservative pundit also underscored that there were no accusations in the Minnesota trial that āChauvin had committed a hate crime against George Floyd or that he targeted George Floyd because of his race.ā
āI think it is worthwhile to remember that there is a man whose rotting in prison because the media decided in the middle of 2020 that they were going to turn a tragic law enforcement stop ā¦ into theĀ raison dāĆŖtreĀ of the entire 2020 election,ā Shapiro contended.
āSpecial White House employeeā Elon Musk later chimed in on Shapiroās petition writing on X that it was āsomething to think about.ā
Trump, 78, has wielded his pardon power aggressively during his second term, granting clemency to thousands of Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot defendants hours after being sworn into office.
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