Elon Musk has seemingly backed a campaign to pardon a former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd.
The petition, which was started by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, calls for US President Donald Trump to pardon Derek Chauvin.
The 53-year-old billionaire shared the petition with his 219 million followers accompanied with the comment: "Something to think about."
Shapiro's original post has been viewed more than 21 million times since being uploaded while Musk's garnered a further 16 million.
Musk shared the petition with his 219 million followers
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Derek Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder in 2020
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Derek Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder in 2020
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Shapiro's campaign claims Chauvin was "unjustly convicted" in the 2020 murder case that sparked worldwide 'Black Lives Matter' protests.
In an open letter to Trump, Shapiro claimed the "evidence demonstrated" that Chauvin "did not, in fact, commit the murder of George Floyd."
The Daily Wire founder called Chauvin's conviction "the defining achievement of the woke movement in American politics."
He argued there was "massive overt pressure on the jury to return a guilty verdict regardless of the evidence."
Shapiro stated the country "cannot turn the page on that dark, divisive, and racist era without righting this terrible wrong."
US LATEST:Something to think about https://t.co/KbZQEMpFXP
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 4, 2025
The petition suggests pardoning Chauvin would end "the weaponization of the American justice system".
Shapiro argued that Floyd was "high on fentanyl" and had a "significant pre-existing heart condition" at the time of his death and claimed Floyd complained about breathing difficulties whilst inside the police car, not on the ground.
The petition also states that "for large segments" of the video, Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's shoulder rather than his neck.
Shapiro referenced the autopsy, suggesting Floyd died of "excited delirium" rather than Chauvin's actions.
However, Hennepin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr Andrew Baker testified that Floyd died of "cardiopulmonary arrest" due to "law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression".
A presidential pardon from Trump would only apply to Chauvin's federal conviction for violating Floyd's civil rights.
His state conviction for second-degree murder would remain in place, as presidential clemency powers do not extend to state-level crimes.
George Floyd was killed after being suspected of using a counterfeit $20 note
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Ben Shapiro urged Trump to pardon the convicted former police officer
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison emphasised this point, stating a pardon "wouldn't free" Chauvin since he's still serving a state sentence.
"The only conceivable purpose would be to express yet more disrespect for George Floyd and more disrespect for the rule of law," Ellison told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Chauvin is currently serving concurrent state and federal sentences in a federal prison in Arizona.
His anticipated release date is December 10, 2035.
Richard Painter, a law professor and former chief White House ethics lawyer, criticised the potential pardon on X.
"Derek Chauvin's Minnesota conviction cannot be pardoned by the President—only the federal conviction can be," he wrote.
Painter added: "Although not a factor in his conviction, Chauvin's crime clearly involved racism. A pardon will rightly be seen as racially motivated."
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Floyd's death sparked a wave of 'Black Lives Matter' protests worldwide
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President Trump has not yet commented on the petition.
He has previously issued controversial pardons, including to political allies and individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol riot.
Trump has also previously pardoned two Washington, DC police officers.
Chauvin was convicted in 2021 of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
He was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for the state charges.
The former Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds during an arrest in May 2020.
Floyd, who was suspected of using a counterfeit $20 note, repeatedly said "I can't breathe" before losing consciousness.
His death triggered widespread protests, demonstrations and civil unrest across the United States.
In November 2023, Chauvin was seriously injured after being stabbed 22 times by another inmate at the federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.
