Trump pardon of Derek Chauvin unlikely, MPD Chief says 'no credible information'

Trump pardon of Derek Chauvin unlikely, MPD Chief says

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said Monday there is "no credible information" that President Donald Trump will pardon Derek Chauvin in the Memorial Day 2020 death of George Floyd.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Monday there is "no credible information" that President Donald Trump will pardon former officer Derek Chauvin in the Memorial Day 2020 murder of George Floyd.

The five-year anniversary of that incident is Tuesday.

O’Hara spoke at a news conference as the city is bringing in civilians to help lead internal affairs and major bureaus, a first for the department. At the end of his news conference, O’Hara was asked about recent rumors that Trump will pardon Chauvin.

The backstory:

Chauvin is in federal prison for Floyd’s death, and federal charges that he and the other officers involved violated Floyd’s civil rights. Even if President Trump does pardon Chauvin, he wouldn't be free. The pardon would only cover the federal case. He would still have to serve time in the state case for murder, meaning he would just be moved from a federal facility to a state prison in Minnesota to serve out the remainder of that murder sentence.

"I was in D.C. last week and I’ve literally had police chiefs from around the country ask me that question. I’ll tell you what I’ve told them, there is absolutely no credible information we have to suggest that’s going to happen," O’Hara told reporters. "Of course, because there’s all these rumors, we’ve been in communication with our partners at the state, at the federal level to ensure that we and all of our partners are prepared in the event something like that happens, and it causes some type of civil disturbance. To be clear, there is no credible information that something like that will happen."

‘We all saw that video, we all knew it was wrong’

What we know:

Floyd’s death after an arrest for passing a counterfeit $20 bill at Cup Foods on Memorial Day in 2020 caused days of civil unrest in Minneapolis. It also sparked worldwide protests against police brutality.

The controversy centered around Chauvin restraining Floyd by putting his knee on his neck. Floyd couldn’t breathe, lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

"We all saw that video, we all knew it was wrong, including the president five years ago. If you’re not familiar with that he said, Google it. Google his reaction to that video," O’Hara said.

At the time, presidential candidate Joe Biden released a video to YouTube, saying "George Floyd was murdered."

O’Hara comments create controversy

Why you should care:

O’Hara became the Minneapolis police chief in 2022, replacing Medaria Arradondo. He told the New York Post five years later, Minneapolis is "still broken, divided and suffering." He also said the city has a "detached, bourgeois liberal mentality."

O’Hara was asked about those comments on Monday in relation to his duty to keep Minneapolis safe.

"A frustration that I have had over the last three years that I’ve been here is that we have very, very real challenges around crime in this city and ensuring we’re able to provide safety. Having an effective police department is absolutely necessary to address those really, really urgent needs that our residents have been dealing with. I have felt like at times, it’s almost controversial to even acknowledge policing in and of itself is essential. That having effective policing is essential for so many of our residents who are hardest hit by just the level of crime and violence we’ve experienced in recent years, "O’Hara said." I am someone that believes in doing everything we possibly can to get crime under control. My commitment to the people of this community is to do absolutely everything we possibly can to keep people alive here and try and reduce crime. Those are decisions we should be making free of any ideological lens."