Biden says Chauvin sentence ‘seems to be appropriate’
By Donald Judd and Maegan Vazquez, CNN
President Joe Biden said on Friday that former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin’s 22-year sentence for the murder of George Floyd “seems to be appropriate” after being informed of the decision by reporters.
“I don’t know all the circumstances that were considered, but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate,” Biden said in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon. However, he also said he hadn’t heard anything about the news until press relayed it when they entered the room.
Chauvin was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years for the second-degree unintentional murder of Floyd.
Chauvin had been found guilty on that charge in April, as well as third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Sentences for the lesser charges were not handed down on Friday.
The President notably broke his careful silence about the eventual outcome of the Chauvin trial this spring, saying he was “praying the verdict is the right verdict,” and suggested there was ample evidence for the jury to consider as it determined whether the former officer was guilty of murdering Floyd.
“It’s overwhelming, in my view,” Biden said at the time. “I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered.”
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Floyd’s family in May on the anniversary of his death at the hands of police, which sparked nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.
Federal policing measures that were proposed following the demonstrations remain in negotiations in Congress. Congressional negotiators working on legislation aimed at overhauling the nation’s policing laws said on Thursday that they’ve “reached agreement on a framework” for the package but that talks will continue over the next few weeks.
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Jessica Dean and Alex Rogers contributed to this report.
