‘No. No. No’: Floyd Attorney Ben Crump Unhappy Chauvin Team Pressing For New Trial

 

Famed race hustler and attorney Ben Crump was unhappy with the news Tuesday that the defense team for former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin has asked for a new trial, citing unfair proceedings that facilitated bias.

Crump, an attorney for the family of the late George Floyd, reacted to the news Tuesday evening with a post reading, “No. No. No. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.”

As highlighted by The Daily Wire, Crump has a reputation for spreading misinformation when claiming alleged police brutality and so-called “systemic racism” in high-profile cases.Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson on Tuesday filed a motion for a new trial, following the conviction of his client last month for the murder of Floyd. The former police officer was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

Nelson claimed in the filing that his client’s right to due process and a fair trial was violated, in part, when the court decided against sequestering the jury and granting a venue change, The Daily Wire reported Tuesday.

“The Court abused its discretion when it failed to sequester the jury for the duration of the trial, or in the least, admonish them to avoid all media, which resulted in jury exposure to prejudicial publicity regarding the trial during the proceedings, as well as jury intimidation and potential fear of retribution among jurors, which violated Mr. Chauvin’s constitutional rights to due process and to a fair trial,” the filing said.

Among other concerns, Nelson separately requested a hearing to throw out the verdict “on the grounds that the jury committed misconduct, felt threatened or intimidated, felt race-based pressure during the proceedings, and/or failed to adhere to instructions during deliberations.”

Days ago, it was revealed that now-public juror Brandon Mitchell, 31, back in August, wore a “Black Lives Matter” and a T-shirt that says “BLM” with the words, “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks,” a reference to the death of Floyd. He also attended a racial justice rally in Washington, D.C., which in part focused on police brutality and featured remarks from members of the Floyd family.

The revelations seem to contradict statements Mitchell gave to the court during the jury selection process. For example, on his juror questionnaire, Mitchell reportedly answered “no” when asked about past participation in demonstrations. Star Tribune reported:

The first question asked, “Did you, or someone close to you, participate in any of the demonstrations or marches against police brutality that took place in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death?”

The second asked, “Other than what you have already described above, have you, or anyone close to you, participated in protests about police use of force or police brutality?”