The lead prosecutor in the case against Derek Chauvin admitted he “felt a little bad” for the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd.
The moment: In an interview with “60 Minutes” on Monday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison gave his reaction to the jury’s finding that Chauvin was guilty on all charges: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
- According to Ellison, his first reactions were “gratitude” and “satisfaction.”
- However, Ellison also said, “I will admit, I felt a little bad for the defendant. I think he deserved to be convicted. But he’s a human being.”
- When interviewer Scott Pressey expressed surprise, Ellison elaborated, saying, “I hope we never forget that people who are defendants in our criminal justice system, that they’re human beings. They’re people. I mean, George Floyd was a human being. And so I’m not going to ever forget that everybody in this process is a person.”
Context: Last week, a Minneapolis jury found Chauvin guilty on all charges and, he is currently being held in solitary confinement before his sentencing.
- Some conservative commentators, like Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have worried aloud that media bias and the threat of left-wing fury denied Chauvin his right to a fair trial.
- Chauvin faces up to 40 years in prison.
