President Biden told the family of George Floyd on Tuesday that there is now “justice” after a Minnesota jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in Floyd’s death last year.
“Nothing is going to make it all better, but at least, God — now there’s some justice,” Mr. Biden said. “We’re all so relieved.”
He said he wants to get House Democrats’ policing bill passed, “and a lot more.”
“This [could] be the first shot at dealing with genuine, systemic racism,” the president said.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family, posted audio and video of the family’s end of the phone call on social media.
Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke to the family and said it was a day for “justice in America.”
“In George’s name and memory, we are going to make sure his legacy is intact and that history will look back at this moment and know that it was an inflection moment,” Ms. Harris said.
Earlier Tuesday, a Minneapolis jury found Mr. Chauvin guilty of unintentional second-degree murder; third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd last May.
The president had said in the Oval Office earlier in the day that he was praying for the “right verdict” in the trial.
“I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict, which is — I think it’s overwhelming, in my view,” Mr. Biden had said. “I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered.”
The president also spoke with Floyd’s family Monday after the jury was sequestered.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki had declined to elaborate on what Mr. Biden meant by “overwhelming” but said the comments did not amount to getting ahead of the verdict.
Mr. Chauvin, who is White, knelt on the neck of Floyd, who is Black, for approximately nine minutes last year. Officers had stopped Floyd on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill.
Floyd’s death last May had sparked a wave of racial justice protests, some of which escalated into looting and rioting.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.