President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he is "praying the verdict is the right verdict" in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin and that he believed the case, which has gone to the jury and put the nation on edge, to be "overwhelming".
Biden, ahead of a meeting with lawmakers in the Oval Office, told reporters that he was only weighing in on the trial into the death of George Floyd, who died with Chauvin's knee on his neck, because the jury in the case had been sequestered. He confirmed that he called Floyd's family on Monday to offer prayers and said he "can only imagine the pressure and anxiety they're feeling".
"They're a good family and they're calling for peace and tranquility no matter what that verdict is", Biden said. "I'm praying the verdict is the right verdict. I think it's overwhelming, in my view. I wouldn't say that unless the jury was sequestered now".
Biden's comments come a day after Judge Peter Cahill, who is presiding over the trial, admonished elected officials for speaking out about the case.
"I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that's disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch and our function", he said shortly after sending the jury to begin deliberations.
