The judge overseeing the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Monday excoriated House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters after she urged protesters to "get more confrontational" if the jury did not return a guilty verdict for the murder of George Floyd.
Judge Peter Cahill told Chauvin's defense team that the California Democrat "may have given you something on appeal that may result in his whole trial being overturned."
"I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch and our function," he said.
Cahill's comments, which he made after denying a mistrial request from Chauvin's defense attorney, marked an escalation in the controversy swirling around Waters for her remarks over the weekend.
On Saturday, Waters told demonstrators in Minnesota that Chauvin should be found "guilty, guilty, guilty" and if not "we cannot go away."
Waters' comments have triggered a swift rebuke from the right. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday he was introducing a resolution to censure Waters. McCarthy said she "broke the law by violating curfew and then incited violence."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended Waters Monday and said she doesn't think Waters should have to apologize for her remarks. Waters said in an interview with The Grio that her comments were about “confronting the justice system, confronting the policing that’s going on."
Chauvin's defense attorney, Eric Nelson, said Monday that Waters' comments could have prejudiced members of the jury. He said that's because the court had not agreed to completely sequester them from exposure to the media during deliberations in court.
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April 20, 2021 at 07:05AM
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Chauvin judge warns Waters comments may overturn trial - POLITICO
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