President Joe Biden said on Friday that Derek Chauvin's 22-and-a-half year sentence for murdering George Floyd 'seemed appropriate'.
The president was in the Oval Office with the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, when reporters told him the jail term the ex-cop had been given in Minneapolis.
'I don't know all the circumstances that were considered, but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate,' he said.
He also said that was the first he had heard of the reports. Biden formed a close relationship with the Floyd family and invited them to the White House last month to discuss the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
The president also injected himself into the trial in the spring when he said he was 'praying the verdict is the right verdict.'
'It's overwhelming, in my view,' Biden said of the sentence in the trial at the time. 'I wouldn't say that unless the jury was sequestered.
Judge Peter Cahill handed down the sentence of 270 months on Friday and granted Chauvin 199 days already served. He will be eligible for parole after 15 years and could be released on good behavior, which many demonstrators chanting outside the Minneapolis courtroom say isn't enough.
'This is based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd,' Judge Cahill said to the disgraced former cop. 'I'm not basing my sentencing on public opinion, I'm not basing it on any attempt to send any messages.'
Cahill also addressed Floyd's family, who had spoken out in emotional victim impact statements, telling them that 'I acknowledge and hear the pain that you're feeling.'
In addition to jail time, Chauvin is also prohibited from possessing a gun, ammunition, or explosives for the remainder of his life and must also register as a predatory offender. As a first-time offender, Chauvin had potentially faced 12 and a half years in prison, but most serious charge that Chauvin was convicted of - second-degree murder - carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
The president was in the Oval Office with the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, when reporters told him the jail term the ex-cop had been given in Minneapolis. 'I don't know all the circumstances that were considered, but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate,' he said.
The former Minneapolis officer, dressed in a gray suit and tie with a buzz cut, was found guilty in April on all three counts - second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter - for kneeling on 46-year-old Floyd's neck for nine minutes in May 2020.
In his sentencing memo, Judge Cahill wrote, 'Mr. Chauvin, rather than pursuing the MPD mission, treated Mr. Floyd without respect and denied him the dignity owed to all human beings and which he certainly would have extended to a friend or neighbor.'
The sentencing came after Chauvin spoke briefly to offer the Floyd family his condolences.
Chauvin said he could not give a full statement because of additional legal matters, but said, 'There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some peace of mind. Thank you.'
There are still two federal indictments pending against Chauvin - one for violating Floyd's civil rights during the arrest that led to his death and one for assaulting a 14-year-old with a flashlight.
Chauvin spoke after four heartbreaking victim impact statements from George Floyd's family, including Floyd's seven-year-old daughter Gianna Floyd, his nephew Brandon Williams, and brothers Terrence Floyd and Philonise Floyd.
Derek Chauvin, 45, was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison on Friday for the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin spoke briefly at his sentencing Friday to offer the Floyd family his condolences
He also said that was the first he had heard of the reports. Biden formed a close relationship with the Floyd family and invited them to the White House last month to discuss the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
'This is based on your abuse of your position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd,' Judge Cahill said as he handed down the sentencing
Chauvin, seen in a gray suit, gray tie and sporting a buzz cut walk out of the Minnesota court room moments after being sentenced to 22.5 years in prison
Chauvin will be eligible for parole after 15 years and could be released on good behavior, which many demonstrators chanting outside of the Minneapolis courtroom say isn't enough
Black Lives Matter activists and supporters rally outside Hennepin County District Court where a judge sentenced former police officer Chauvin
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