Some of the loudest voices on the far-right edges of the MAGA universe have been clamoring for Donald Trump to pardon former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes, then pleaded guilty to depriving Floyd of his rights in the federal civil rights case.
Now, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is throwing her weight behind the disgraced ex-cop, falsely claiming that Floyd died from a drug overdose rather than Chauvin’s use of force during a minor arrest five years ago.
Many see the latest efforts as racially motivated, given the push to defend a white man who is convicted of murder in federal and state court, where Trump has no power to intervene on behalf of the 49-year-old former cop. Greene made no secret about where she stands.
“I strongly support Derek Chauvin being pardoned and released from prison,” Greene wrote on her verified X account this week, even as state officials warned that such a move by Trump could spark unrest and deepen racial divisions throughout the country. “George Floyd died of a drug overdose,” Greene declared, disputing the findings in the coroner’s report, which found that Floyd died as a result of Chauvin’s actions.
Support for freeing Chauvin appeared to be gaining momentum mainly within Trump’s political sphere, with many arguing that the jury got it wrong, while repeating Greene’s lies about the cause of Floyd’s death.
The push to pardon Chauvin also reflected a broader trend in the conservative movement where figures like Chauvin are portrayed as victims of a system believed to unfairly target and punish white men.
Greene’s claims about Floyd contradicted the official autopsy findings and trial evidence, which led to Chauvin’s conviction. The post by the outspoken Republican drew a strong rebuke from Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who pointed to the widely viewed footage from May 2020, showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
“Marjorie, I know the truth confuses you and facts ain’t your strong suit—so let me break it down real slow: George Floyd didn’t die from drugs. He died because Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 9 minutes. That’s called murder,” Crockett wrote on X, while sharing an image of MTG’s comments. “We all saw it. You can lie to yourself all day, but the rest of us remember exactly what happened.”
Chauvin is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, in addition to a 22½-year state sentence for murder. While a president can issue pardons for federal crimes, Trump has no authority over Chauvin’s state conviction in Minnesota. Even if the federal sentence were pardoned, Chauvin would remain in prison under the state sentence.
In a previous report by Atlanta Black Star, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison noted that efforts to petition Trump for a federal pardon are irrelevant to the conviction secured by the state, where Chauvin “still owes Minnesota 22½ years,” the state’s top prosecutor told MSNBC’s “Politics Nation” on Sunday.
The former officer had sought to have his conviction thrown out based on an alternative medical theory on Floyd’s cause of death, citing Floyd’s use of drugs.
However, at the time of the killing, then-Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman ruled Floyd’s death a homicide that was likely caused by the brutal knee restraint applied by Chauvin.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Chauvin’s appeal of the state verdict in 2023.
Since then, Chauvin’s cause has been picked up by Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro. On March 4, Shapiro launched an online peitition to secure a federal pardon for Chauvin. Tech billionaire Elon Musk shared a clip from Shapiro’s podcast that day and wrote, “Something to think about.”
The petition now has more than 50,000 signatures, though even some regular Daily Wire followers weren’t swayed.
“Kneeling on a guy’s neck for 10 minutes is very weak grounds for a pardon,” wrote one, on X. “I can’t support this cause.”
In his letter to Trump, Shapiro called Chauvin’s “unjust conviction the inciting event for the BLM riots that caused $2 billion in property damage in cities across the United States and set America’s race relations on their worst footing in recent memory. Yet the evidence demonstrates that Derek Chauvin did not murder George Floyd.”
There was little dispute over the verdict, even from the right, until recently. Supporters of a pardon for Chauvin now argue he did not receive a fair trial due to the attention surrounding the Floyd case and the national protests that accompanied it.
Ellison has his theories. “I think they’re pushing for it because they want to agitate and outrage people,” Ellison told MSNBC about the pardon efforts. “I don’t know if Trump is going to pardon Chauvin or not, but if he does, it doesn’t change his prison sentence. He still owes Minnesota 22½ years, and he’s going to do it either in Minnesota or somewhere.”
Several bystanders watched Floyd’s arrest unfold and recorded video showing Floyd’s slow and agonizing death — disturbing footage that was later shared with a worldwide audience on social media. The video, combined with Floyd’s subsequent death, sparked nationwide protests and a global reckoning over police violence and racial injustice.
Chauvin’s trial in 2021 ended in a conviction for second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter under Minnesota law, in addition to the federal conviction for violating Floyd’s constitutional rights.
Security officials in Minneapolis and Minnesota have indicated they are preparing for possible unrest should a pardon be issued, though no official plans have been announced. Some critics of the pardon effort argue that it could provoke public backlash, particularly on May 25, the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s death, only a few days from now.
Asked about the possibility of a pardon, Gov. Tim Walz told reporters, “There’s no indication yet whether they’ll go through with it, but I think it’s wise for us to be prepared. Given this presidency, it seems like something they might do.”
Trump has not said whether he is considering a pardon for Chauvin.
Not leaving well enough alone, Greene responded Wednesday night with a screenshot of a report that shows Floyd had fentanyl in his system, but the AI tool on X debunked her claim that it resulted in her death.
