Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar said the contentious trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd, “feels like a closed case.”
“The case to me feels like a closed case, where it shouldn’t be really even a question whether there will be an acquittal or a verdict that doesn’t meet the scale of the kind [of crime] that was committed,” she said on Tuesday during a trip to Brooklyn Center. “I know that [the] majority of the community has a trust in the leadership of Attorney General Keith Ellison and the prosecutors that he put forth to be able to prosecute this case in a way that was dignified and just.”
Omar, one of the most liberal members of Congress, insisted the verdict may serve as a “turning point” in a community that “is still on edge.”
“As the community is still on edge and feels that we are a community that has experienced injustice over and over again that this might actually be the turning point. And so, we are prayed up, we are holding on to one another for support, we are checking in on one another, and hopefully, this verdict will come soon,” she said.
CHAUVIN JUDGE SAYS MAXINE WATERS’S COMMENTS COULD LEAD TO OVERTURNING TRIAL ON APPEAL
The Democratic representative’s comments follow controversial remarks from California Rep. Maxine Waters, who traveled to Minneapolis over the weekend and urged demonstrators to become “more confrontational” if the Chauvin verdict is less than desirable.
“We’re looking for a guilty verdict,” Waters said. “And we’re looking to see if all of the talk that took place and has been taking place after they saw what happened to George Floyd, if nothing does not happen, then we know that we’ve got to not only stay in the street, but we’ve got to fight for justice.”
“I am very hopeful,” the California Democrat added of Chauvin being found guilty. “I hope that we are going to get a verdict that will say ‘guilty, guilty, guilty.’”
“And if we don’t, we cannot go away,” she continued. “We’ve got to get more confrontational.”
Judge Peter Cahill said her remarks could lead to the trial of Chauvin, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of third-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter, being overturned on appeal. The case concluded as of Monday, and the jury has been sequestered to deliberate on whether to convict the former officer.
“I’ll give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned,” Cahill said after defense attorney Eric Nelson alluded to the controversial statements.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden came under fire for saying he’s looking forward to the “right verdict” in the case.
“I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict,” Biden said on Tuesday after mentioning that he spoke with Floyd’s family on the phone. “I think it’s overwhelming in my view.”
