Ben Shapiro's call for Trump to pardon Chauvin sparks debate
American political commentator Ben Shapiro has called on Donald Trump to pardon Officer Derek Chauvin, who is serving a sentence for the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Trump has expressed no certainty about issuing a pardon.
The case of George Floyd sparked significant emotion in the USA. In May 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a 46-year-old African American was restrained by police officers in a manner that obstructed his breathing. The reason for his arrest was the suspicion that he might have used a counterfeit banknote.
Officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes, thus obstructing Floyd’s ability to breathe, which ultimately led to his death. He reportedly did not respond to pleas from bystanders who were warning that Floyd had lost consciousness. Floyd himself also indicated that he could not breathe and pleaded for his life.
Chauvin is concurrently serving a state sentence of around 23 years for murder and a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd's civil rights.
Commentator Ben Shapiro has appealed to Donald Trump to issue a pardon for the officer because Chauvin could not have expected a fair trial due to the intense public interest in the case. The "New York Post" notes that the president could only pardon him for the federal charges, which means Chauvin would remain in prison regardless.
Shapiro argued that Floyd had breathing issues prior to the police intervention. He added that Chauvin "is rotting in prison" because of "blind justice", implying that the officer’s conviction was a triumph for the African American movement in politics.
No, I haven’t even heard about it, no. I haven’t heard of that - said Donald Trump in the Oval Office during an interview with journalists. His statement is quoted by "NYPost".
