Minnesota Attorney General: ‘I Felt a Little Bad’ for Chauvin Following Guilty Verdict
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is expressing that he will never “forget” that everybody, even the defendants, in a trial are “human beings.” Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted by…
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is expressing that he will never “forget” that everybody, even the defendants, in a trial are “human beings.”
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted by jurors of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree “depraved mind” murder, and second-degree manslaughter charges on April 20. He is accused of murdering George Floyd.
During a CBS “60 Minutes” interview aired Sunday night, Ellison said, “I spent 16 years as a criminal defense lawyer, so I will say I felt a little bad for the defendant. I think he deserved to be convicted, but he’s a human being.”
CBS News’ Scott Pelley reacted, saying he “did not expect” to hear from Ellison “a note of compassion for Derek Chauvin.”
Ellison responded, “I’m not in any way wavering from my responsibility. But 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,” he continued. “So, I’m not going to ever forget that everybody in this process is a person.”
Watch the interview below:
President Joe Biden