Musk recently used X to amplify conservative commentator Ben Shapiro’s call for Trump to pardon Chauvin’s federal conviction connected to George Floyd’s k*lling. Musk also posted that Chauvin was “unjustly convicted” and argued that he should be freed, claiming the facts did not show intent or legal responsibility.
Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, is serving concurrent sentences: a 22 1/2-year state sentence and a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. Floyd was k*lled in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, and the case sparked worldwide protests over policing, racial injustice, and accountability.
A key point in the debate is what a president can and cannot do. Trump could pardon Chauvin’s federal conviction, but he cannot pardon or commute the Minnesota state sentence. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told MPR News that Trump has “no power” over the state conviction and noted that the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld it.
Chauvin’s legal team has again asked Minnesota courts to dismiss the state conviction, arguing due process violations, including objections to the assignment of the case to Ellison and the lack of a grand jury before charges were decided. Previous efforts to overturn the conviction were denied.
If the federal conviction were pardoned, Ellison said Chauvin would still be sent back to Minnesota to continue serving the state sentence. Without a pardon, Chauvin is not expected to be released until 2038.
What do you think a presidential pardon should be allowed to change in a case like this?
A pardon debate involving Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Derek Chauvin is setting off a national firestorm.
