On April 20, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd. Conservative media predictably responded by lashing out at the guilty verdict.
Since Floyd’s murder in May 2020, right-wing media smeared his character to suggest drugs were the main factor in his death, defended Chauvin’s actions, and attacked mass civil rights protests with racist characterizations and conspiracy theories.
Following the guilty verdict, right-wing media outlets and figures insisted that the trial was not fair because the jury was intimidated by threats of protests, “mob rule,” and public comments made by Democrats including President Joe Biden and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA). Conservative media also defended Chauvin’s actions -- or insisted that evidence wasn’t presented to a standard to convict -- and complained about calls for structural reforms to the criminal justice system.
Insisting that the trial was not fair due to the threat of protests, “mob rule,” and pressure from Waters and Biden
Newsmax host Rob Schmitt claimed that the jury decided to “sacrifice” Chauvin to “the mob.”