Calls to Free George Floyd’s Murderer Grow — Here’s Why It’s Unlikely to Happen

By Christina Carrega, CapitalB

As calls for a pardon for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin are growing in right-wing circles, the real question is it even possible?

The short answer: not quite.

Earlier this week, right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro urged President Donald Trump to extend clemency for Chauvin’s convictions related to the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Less than two months into Trump’s second term, he has granted clemency through executive orders more frequently than any other president.

Even if a pardon for his federal conviction was issued, it would not affect Chauvin’s murder case because the president has no jurisdiction over state criminal convictions. Trump does have the authority to pardon one of Chauvin’s convictions for violating the federal civil rights of Floyd.

Decarceration and legal advocates have expressed concerns to Capital B in previous reporting that Trump’s selection process for pardon and commutation recipients from his first term, which includes celebrities and loyalists, could continue — it already has. 

Floyd’s murder by police sparked a global racial and social justice movement, with weekslong protests erupting in multiple cities. In response, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, then under former President Joe Biden’s administration, reopened investigations into the Minneapolis Police Department and other law enforcement agencies accused of misconduct. These investigations, which had been paused during Trump’s first term, focused on allegations of systemic civil rights violations.  

Shapiro, Musk, and other MAGA conservatives have downplayed the role of race in Floyd’s death since, dismissing the video evidence and condemning the jury’s verdict. 

On Friday, Trump said he wasn’t considering pardoning Chauvin, multiple news outlets reported. 

Read more.

Learn about the history-making ruling against Chauvin.

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