Derek Chauvin Pardon Appears Increasingly Possible as Elon Musk Weighs In

Could former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin receive a pardon for his federal charges related to George Floyd’s death?

Recent developments suggest the possibility is growing under the current administration.

On Thursday, The Washington Times reported that Ben Shapiro, Editor Emeritus of The Daily Wire, launched a campaign advocating for President Donald Trump to pardon Chauvin for his federal conviction handed down in June 2021.

Shapiro took to the social media platform X on Tuesday, sharing a video in which he made his argument and provided a link to a campaign website, PardonDerek.com.

DOGE chair Elon Musk later shared the video, adding his own brief comment: “Something to think about.”

“President Trump should in fact pardon Derek Chauvin,” Shapiro declared.

Reflecting on Floyd’s death, which sparked the widespread Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, and considering Trump’s efforts to counteract the consequences of the last four years, Shapiro argued, “When it came to BLM, the inciting event for the BLM riots that caused $2 billion in property damage in the United States and set America’s race relations on their worst footing in my lifetime, was in fact the railroading of Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd.”

Shapiro presented his analysis of the case against Chauvin, contending that the trial helped perpetuate the false narrative that Floyd’s death was a racially motivated killing of a black man by a white police officer.

After detailing the situation, he pressed his argument for a pardon.

“I think it is worthwhile to remember that there is a man who is rotting in prison because the media decided in the middle of 2020 that they were going to turn a tragic law enforcement stop that ended with the death of a man that had a significant problem with drugs and preexisting health problems into the raison d’etat of the entire 2020 election,” Shapiro stated.

According to The Washington Times, Chauvin is also serving a 22-and-a-half-year sentence for state charges, including unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

Even with a federal pardon, he would still be required to serve his state sentence, likely resulting in his transfer to a state facility in Minneapolis from the Federal Correctional Institution in Big Spring, Texas, where he is currently held.

If Musk seriously considers Shapiro’s message, it may eventually reach Trump’s attention.

The former president has never been one to let political pressures dictate his executive decisions.

His decision to pardon individuals linked to the events of January 6 on his first day back in office drew outrage from the left, but Trump stood firm in his conviction that it was necessary.

Additionally, The Washington Times noted that Trump has previously pardoned law enforcement officers, including two individuals convicted in 2020 for the death of a motorcyclist who was attempting to flee arrest.

A Chauvin pardon would undoubtedly provoke strong reactions from left-wing activists, but that is nothing new.

Given that Trump will inevitably be a target of criticism from his opponents, he might as well do so in pursuit of what he believes is a just cause.