Apr 21, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Minnesota AG says he wasn't "convinced we were going to win" Chauvin case

Axios

A screenshot of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison being interviewed on "60 Minutes." Photo: CBS

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says he wasn't convinced that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin would be found guilty for the murder of George Floyd, per an excerpt from his upcoming "60 Minutes" interview released Wednesday.

The big picture: In the interview, airing Sunday, Ellison noted that "when the victim is a person of color, it's just rare that there's any accountability." This is particularly the case for police officers in the deaths of Black people.

But a jury on Tuesday found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death.

What he's saying: "I was never convinced we were going to win this case until we heard the verdict of guilty," Ellison told CBS' Scott Pelley. The attorney general recalled the case involving white police officers who beat Rodney King in 1991.

"I remember how devastated I felt when I heard that the jury acquitted those officers," he said.
"Every moment of this case, I thought, 'What are we missing… Do we need another witness?' I was not sure that we were going to get the just result that we did get until I heard Judge Cahill announce the verdict."

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Minnesota AG says he wasn't "convinced we were going to win" Chauvin case

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