THIS WEEK’S NEW CHARGES
>>> WE’RE GOING TO GET BACK TO
THE JOB NUMBERS IN A MINUTE AND
TALK ABOUT THEM, BUT, FIRST,
LET’S BRING IN THE LEAD
PROSECUTOR IN THE GEORGE FLOYD
CASE, MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL
KEITH ELLISON.
KEITH, IT IS SO GREAT TO TALK TO
YOU AGAIN.
>> THANKS, JOE.
>> TELL ME, IF YOU CAN TELL OUR
VIEWERS WHAT LED UP TO THE
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE CHARGES
BEING BROUGHT AGAINST THE OTHER
OFFICERS AND ALSO THE SECOND
DEGREE MURDER CHARGE THAT WAS
ADDED?
>> WELL, AS WE WERE CONTINUING
TO RECEIVE EVIDENCE, GIVEN THAT
WE HAD AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION,
WE FELT THAT THE FACTS WERE
THERE TO CHARGE THE HIGHER COUNT
ON DEREK CHAUVIN AND TO
DEMONSTRATE TO THE SATISFACTION
OF A JURY, WE BELIEVE, THAT THE
OTHER THREE OFFICERS ACTIVELY
AIDED AND ABETTED, AND DESPITE
HAVING A DUTY TO DO SO DIDN’T
RENDER ANY AID.
SO WE BELIEVE THAT’S AIDING AND
ABETTING.
SO WE CHARGED IT OUT AS SUCH.
SO WE’RE CHARGING COUNTS THAT WE
BELIEVE ARE PROVABLE,
SUBSTANTIALLY EVIDENCE EXISTS
FOR.
SO THAT’S WHAT WE ARRIVED AT.
>> I WAS STRUCK BY YOUR CAUTIOUS
TONE WHEN YOU -- WHEN YOU WERE
SPEAKING NOT ONLY TO THE PEOPLE
OF MINNESOTA BUT ALSO TO THE
NATION.
YOU EXPLAINED THAT, YES, YOU’VE
GOT THE TAPE, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE
CAUTIOUS, YOU NEED TO MOVE
FORWARD DELIBERATIVELY.
>> RIGHT.
>> BECAUSE YOU CERTAINLY HAVE
SEEN, AS HAVE ALL OF US HAVE
SEEN CASES LIKE THE FREDDIE GRAY
CASE WHERE I BELIEVED AT THE
TIME POLICE RUSHED -- OR
PROSECUTORS RUSHED QUICKLY,
THREW SOME CHARGES DOWN TO CALM
PEOPLE IN THE STREETS, AND THEN
WEREN’T ABLE TO FOLLOW UP ON THE
CHARGES.
YOU SEEM TO BE TAKING THIS IN A
VERY DELIBERATE MANNER.
EXPLAIN.
>> WELL, I MEAN IN SO MANY
CASES, WHETHER IT IS STARTING
WITH RODNEY KING, WALTER SCOTT,
SO MANY OTHER -- TRAYVON MARTIN,
WHICH WAS NOT A POLICE CASE BUT
A QUASI POLICE CASE, YOU KNOW,
THE DEFENSE ATTORNEYS WERE ABLE
TO BREAK ONE LINK OF THE
PROSECUTORIAL CHAIN AND THE JURY
BOUGHT IT.
I MEAN LET’S
LET’S BE HONEST.
WE’RE ALL RAISED TO BELIEVE, YOU
KNOW, POLICE.
EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW THAT POLICE
OFFICERS ARE MEMBERS OF THE
HUMAN RACE AND SUBJECT TO WHAT
EVERYBODY ELSE IS SUBJECT TO.
OF GOOD AND BAD.
SO WE DO CULTURALLY THINK WE
SHOULD TRUST THEM AND THAT IS A
FACTOR FOR THE JURY.
WE DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO DISTRUST
THEM OR GIVE THEM ANY HIGHER
CREDIBILITY THAN THEY DO ANOTHER
PERSON WHO IS EQUALLY CREDIBLE.
WE’RE RAISED A CERTAIN KIND OF
WAY.
AND THAT PRESENTS A FACTOR.
THE FACT IS THAT NOBODY IS ABOVE
THE LAW.
NOBODY IS BENEATH THE LAW AND
WE’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS
CASE IS TIGHT AT EVERY LINK IN
THAT CHAIN.
>> ATTORNEY GENERAL ELLISON,
IT’S WILLIE GEIST.
GOOD TO TALK TO YOU THIS
MORNING.
FOR THE LAYMAN WATCHING AND
CONSIDERING THE CHARGES YOU
BROUGHT AGAINST OFFICER CHAUVIN,
WHAT’S THE DISTINCTION TO YOU
BETWEEN THIRD-DEGREE MURDER AND
THE UPGRADED CHARGE OF
SECOND-DEGREE MURDER.
WHY DID YOU SEE FIT TO MOVE THAT
UP?
>> BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT HE
INTENTIONALLY ASSAULTED GEORGE
FLOYD AS OPPOSED TO JUST DID A
DEPRAVED HEART, CRAZY,
OUTRAGEOUS ACT THAT ULTIMATELY
KILLED HIM.
WE BELIEVE HE COMMITTED A FELONY
AGAINST GEORGE FLOYD AND THAT
RESULTED IN DEATH, INTENDED OR
NOT.
AND SO THAT IS THE DISTINCTION.
WE BELIEVE HE DID ACT WITH
INTENTIONALITY ON THE UNDERLYING
FELONY WHICH SUPPORTS FELONY
MURDER IN THE SECOND DEGREE.
>> KEITH, THIS IS GENE ROBINSON.
WHY DID YOU TAKE OVER THE CASE?
WHY DID YOU NOT LEAVE IT IN THE
HANDS OF THE COUNTY PROSECUTOR?
>> WE DID IT TO EXPAND OUR
RESOURCES AND OUR REACH.
THE COUNTY ATTORNEY, MIKE
FREEMAN, GOOD FRIEND OF MINE.
HE’S THE ONLY COUNTY ATTORNEY
WHO HAS SUCCESSFULLY PROSECUTED
A POLICE OFFICER FOR MURDER.
THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE.
THEY HAVE GREAT LAWYERS OVER
THERE.
WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER.
BUT WE THOUGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF
THIS CASE HAD STATEWIDE IMPACT
SO HE CALLED ME AND ASKED ME TO
JOIN TO HELP AND I WAS GLAD TO
DO SO.
THEN THE GOVERNOR SAID WE CAN
USE YOUR HELP HERE SO I’M NEVER
GOING TO SHRINK FROM MY PUBLIC
DUTY.
I’M ALWAYS GOING TO STEP UP AND
HELP WHEREVER WE CAN SO WE SAID
YES.
WE KNOW WE HAVE GREAT LAWYERS,
GREAT PROSECUTORS AT THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE, AND
SO WE CAN HELP SO WE ARE
HELPING.
WE’RE ALSO OPERATING PARALLEL
WITH THE U.S. ATTORNEY, ERICA
McDONALD, WHO IS A GREAT
PARTNER.
AND THEY ARE DOING A COLOR OF
LAW INVESTIGATION, A CIVIL
RIGHTS INVESTIGATION.
SO, YOU KNOW, AS ERICA LIKES TO
SAY, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL, ONE
MISSION, AND WE’RE IN PURSUIT OF
JUSTICE.
>> ATTORNEY GENERAL, OBVIOUSLY
MOST OFFICERS WHO ARE CHARGED
DON’T GET CONVICTED.
WHAT ARE THE STRUCTURAL HURDLES
THAT YOU’RE UP AGAINST IN THIS
CASE?
>> WELL, AS I ALREADY MENTIONED,
YOU KNOW, WE ARE CONDITIONED TO
VIEW THE WORLD A CERTAIN WAY
REGARDING POLICE.
BUT IN STARTING WITH THAT, YOU
KNOW, THERE ARE, IN MANY CASES,
NOT THIS CASE, BUT IN MANY
CASES, RELATIONSHIPS THAT, YOU
KNOW, JUST SIMPLY PROTECT THEM.
THERE ARE STRUCTURAL IMMUNITIES
BUILT INTO THE SYSTEM THAT
SAFEGUARD THEM.
THE POLICE ARE ALLOWED TO
EXERCISE FORCE ON -- IN WAYS
THAT YOU AND I AS NONPOLICE
OFFICERS SIMPLY ARE NOT.
YOU AND I CAN USE FORCE TO
DEFEND OURSELVES OR OTHERS.
THEY CAN USE FORCE IN A BROADER
SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAN THAT.
SO ALL THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES,
RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE IN THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, THE LAW
ITSELF, JURY ATTITUDES, OTHER
THINGS ALL ADD UP TO MAKING IT
TOUGH TO CONVICT POLICE
OFFICERS.
BUT AS I SAID, NO ONE IS ABOVE
THE LAW.
NO ONE IS BENEATH THE LAW.
MR. GEORGE FLOYD IS NOT BENEATH
THE LAW.
IT’S NOT OKAY TO KILL HIM IN THE
STREETS, AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO
STAND FOR IT.
SO WE BROUGHT THE CHARGES THAT
WE THOUGHT WERE SUPPORTED BY THE
EVIDENCE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
ATTORNEY GENERAL KEITH ELLISON,
IT’S ALWAYS GREAT TALKING TO
YOU.
ESPECIALLY NOW.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING