Photo: Getty Images
A conservative pundit has launched a campaign urging President Donald Trump to pardon Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, and the president's top ally Elon Musk believes the move is "something to think about."
On Tuesday (March 4), Ben Shapiro announced a petition backing a public letter to Trump, arguing how Chauvin was "unjustly convicted" of Floyd's murder, during which the ex-officer pinned his knee on the 46-year-old Black man's neck for roughly nine minutes.
Chauvin was sentenced in 2021 to 22.5 years in state prison on charges of murder and manslaughter in connection to Floyd's killing. He also pleaded guilty to violating Floyd's civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison. Chauvin is currently serving his sentences concurrently.
Shapiro is seeking a pardon from Trump to erase Chauvin's federal charges.
“There was massive overt pressure on the [Minnesota] jury to return a guilty verdict regardless of the evidence or any semblance of impartial deliberation,” Shapiro wrote in his letter.
“This pressure took the form of threats, coercion, and intimidation,” he continued. “There was no opportunity for blind justice to work, and a man is now rotting in prison because of it.”
“Make no mistake, the Derek Chauvin conviction represents the defining achievement of the Woke movement in American politics," Shapiro added.
The "Ben Shapiro Show" host also claimed Chauvin's action didn't kill Floyd.
“George Floyd was high on fentanyl; he had a significant pre-existing heart condition,” Shapiro alleged on his radio show. “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.”
“Derek Chauvin, for large segments of even the tape that was shown, had his knee on George Floyd’s shoulder or back, not on his neck,” Shapiro added. “The autopsy of George Floyd showed that he had no damage to his trachea, that probably George Floyd died of excited delirium.”
The right-wing pundit said there was no evidence presented during the officer's trial that “Chauvin had committed a hate crime against George Floyd or that he targeted George Floyd because of his race.”
“I 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 … into the raison d’être of the entire 2020 election,” Shapiro declared.
Musk, head of Trump's newly created Department of Government Efficiency, chimed into the conversation in a statement on X.
"Something to think about," the tech billionaire tweeted.
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.