Left: Derek Chauvin is seen restraining George Floyd, who died in Chauvin’s custody, on May 26, 2020 (Darnella Frazier/Facebook). Right: Derek Chauvin (Minnesota Department of Corrections).
The attorney general of Minnesota says ongoing efforts to petition President Donald Trump for a federal pardon of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd in 2020, are irrelevant when it comes to his state conviction — noting Sunday that Chauvin “still owes Minnesota 22 ½ years.”
“He’s not getting out,” said AG Keith Ellison in an interview on MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation.”
Chauvin, 49, is currently serving concurrent state and federal prison sentences for killing Floyd, 46, during a police incident in which he knelt on Floyd’s neck and back for more than nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted by a 12-member jury on state charges for unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He later pleaded guilty in a federal civil rights case to depriving Floyd of his rights.
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Conservative pundits and Trump ally Elon Musk have promoted a push to secure a federal pardon for Chauvin in recent months. On March 4, right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro launched an online petition on his video podcast and X, urging viewers to support the effort. Musk shared a clip from the podcast on his X page, writing: “Something to think about.”
Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for the civil rights conviction in June 2021. He was given 22 ½ years for the state charges in April 2021. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Chauvin in his state case in 2023.
“I think they’re pushing for it because they want to agitate and outrage people,” Ellison told MSNBC about the pardon. “I don’t know if Trump is going to pardon Chauvin or not, but if he does, it doesn’t change his prison sentence. He still owes Minnesota 22 ½ years, and he’s going to do it either in Minnesota or somewhere.”
Trump has said he is not considering a pardon for Chauvin, despite calls from conservatives and Shapiro. Supporters of the idea argue Chauvin did not receive a fair trial due to the attention surrounding the Floyd case and protests that followed.
Ellison said Sunday that other motivations for a potential pardon could include a desire to show unwavering support for police officers. Another could be to “provoke people,” the AG added.
“In no case is it sensible and good for America,” Ellison said.
