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By Jesus Mesa
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As the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's death approaches, speculation that President Donald Trump may issue a federal pardon for Derek Chauvin has increased to the point of drawing sharp and pre-emptive responses from Minnesota's Democratic political leaders, as well as public safety officials in the Twin Cities.
KSTP, the ABC affiliated station in St. Paul, reported Tuesday that Governor Tim Walz, the Minnesota National Guard, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Attorney General Keith Ellison have been warned about potential unrest if the president pardons Chauvin—a move some MAGA influencers have advocated for since early this year.
While Trump has denied any plans to pardon Chauvin as recently as March, Minnesota officials who spoke with Newsweek said they are not taking any chances.
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The Context
As one of his first actions after returning to office in January, President Trump pardoned two Washington, D.C. police officers convicted in the 2020 killing of Karon Hylton-Brown, a 20-year-old Black man. The move immediately sparked widespread speculation about whether Trump would pardon others involved in high-profile cases of violence against Blacks, with Chauvin being the prime example.
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The former Minneapolis police officer is currently serving a 22-and-a-half-year state sentence for the second-degree unintentional murder of 46-year-old George Floyd. Chauvin is also serving a concurrent 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights.
Floyd's 2020 death at the hands of Chauvin, who is white, drew global attention and set off nationwide protests that, in a number of cases, turned violent.
What To Know
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who led the prosecution of Derek Chauvin, told Newsweek he was unequivocal in his view of the case.
"Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in front of the whole world," Ellison said in an emailed statement.
Ellison also noted that President Donald Trump has no authority to pardon Chauvin's state conviction. "None," he said, noting that even if Chauvin's federal sentence were commuted, he would still return to Minnesota to serve the remainder of his state prison term.
"A pardon of Chauvin's federal conviction would only send him back to Minnesota to serve the remainder of his sentence in state prison," Ellison added. "The only conceivable purpose would be to show further disrespect for George Floyd—and for the rule of law."
Rumors of a possible pardon gained traction after the report from KSTP, but Governor Tim Walz said the White House has not signaled that a federal pardon is imminent. Still, he noted that the state is preparing for any outcome.
"With this presidency, it seems like that might be something they would do," Walz told reporters on Wednesday.
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Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette confirmed to Newsweek that his office had also been briefed on the rumors, but stressed that even if a federal pardon were issued, Chauvin would remain in prison under his state sentence.
"To be clear, we have no credible intelligence about any pardon or planned disruptions here in Minneapolis," Barnette said in a statement. "Since 2020, we've overhauled our emergency management plans and, out of an abundance of caution, are planning for any eventuality."
Speculation about a possible pardon has also been fueled by public comments from high-profile figures on the right like Elon Musk and conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who argue that Chauvin's sentence was excessive and politically motivated in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Trump has denied any current plans to pardon Chauvin. In March, when asked by reporters at the White House, he said, "No, I have not heard about that."
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What People Are Saying
Richard Painter, a law professor and former chief White House ethics lawyer, wrote on X: "Derek Chauvin's Minnesota conviction cannot be pardoned by the president—only the federal conviction can be. Although not a factor in his conviction, Chauvin's crime clearly involved racism. A pardon will rightly be seen as racially motivated."
Ben Shapiro wrote in an open letter to President Trump in March: "Make no mistake—the Derek Chauvin conviction represents the defining achievement of the Woke movement in American politics. The country cannot turn the page on that dark, divisive, and racist era without righting this terrible wrong."
Terrance Floyd, George Floyd's brother, responded to Shapiro's petition on CNN News Central: "Stay in your lane. You know, your opinion is your opinion, but facts is facts. And the fact is, Chauvin's knee was on my brother's neck. The fact is, he held him down there to his last breath when he shouldn't have."
What Happens Next
The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that a deputy city operations officer in Minneapolis sent an internal email telling city employees how officials would respond if Chauvin is pardoned. The message said city leaders would publicly condemn the move, even though a federal pardon wouldn't affect Chauvin's state sentence.
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