In her latest bid for attention, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has taken to social media to advocate for the pardon of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, and Greene’s followers have piled on in the comments section.
Greene’s statement, posted on Instagram on May 14, 2025, says, “I strongly support Derek Chauvin being pardoned and released from prison. George Floyd died of a drug overdose.
“JFC you are vile’
To set the record straight: George Floyd’s death was officially ruled a homicide. The Hennepin County medical examiner concluded that Floyd died due to cardiopulmonary arrest caused by law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.
Meanwhile, an independent autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family also determined that he died from asphyxia resulting from sustained pressure. Maybe Greene missed these details because she can’t read.
Comments on Green’s post slammed her for supporting the ludicrous notion that Chauvin should be pardoned, like the following,
And finally this, “Marjorie, your claim that George Floyd died of a drug overdose is a fiction so far removed from reality, it might as well be shelved in the fantasy section.”
Chauvin was convicted in April 2021 of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for the murder charge and later received a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, to be served concurrently.
Governor Walz has talked to people, “just to prepare for that”
Despite Chauvin’s convictions, Greene and some right-wing figures have called for Chauvin’s pardon. This has led Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz, to prepare for potential unrest should a pardon occur.
In a recent WCCO interview, Walz said, “I will be candid, I’ve talked to people in the community just to prepare for that.” It’s worth noting that even if a federal pardon were granted, Chauvin would still serve his state sentence, as Walz pointed out.
Walz said, “If Donald Trump exercises his constitutional right to [pardon Chauvin,] whether I agree… and I strongly disagree with him. If he issues that pardon, we will simply transfer Derek Chauvin to serve out his 22 and a half years in state prison in Minnesota.”
Greene’s assertion about Floyd’s cause of death has been widely debunked and contradicts established medical findings. Greene’s comments not only disregard the judicial process but also perpetuate misinformation about a pivotal moment in the fight for racial justice, but then again, this is the same person who, after the death of Pope Francis in April, posted, “Today there were major shifts in global leadership. Evil is being defeated by the hand of God.” — So really, what do we expect?
Published: May 14, 2025 05:25 pm