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Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/06/16/trump-aides-told-him-that-using-pence-overturn-election-was-illegal/

A federal jury has found former Minneapolis police officers Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng guilty of violating George Floyd’s civil rights during his deadly arrest. All three men now face the possibility of life in prison, but federal sentencing guidelines suggest they may get much less, The Associated Press reports.

Former Minneapolis police officers Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng were accused of violating Floyd’s civil rights during his arrest and death by denying him medical care. Kueng and Thao are also charged with failing to intervene to stop fellow officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd’s neck.

Former Minneapolis police officers Tou Thao, Derek Chauvin, J Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are seen in arrest photos.

Hampton County Detention Center


Floyd’s legal team, including Ben Crump and co-counsel Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms, released a statement shortly after the three men were convicted.

“Today closes another important chapter in our journey for justice for George Floyd and his family,” it said. “Nothing will bring George Floyd back to his loved ones, but with these verdicts, we hope that the ignorance and indifference toward human life shown by these officers will be erased from our nation’s police departments, so no other family has to experience a loss like this.”

Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, and Floyd’s nephew, Brandon Williams, also spoke after the verdict was announced. 

“Today is a good day for us,” said an emotional Philonese. He thanked his attorneys, who he said were like friends. “They did a hell of a job.” 

Brandon Williams said the family is still hurting and he still has a lot of sleepless nights. Both he and his father called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing act.


George Floyd’s family speaks after ex-officers convicted of violating his civil rights

07:42

When the verdicts were read on Thursday, there was just one woman behind the defense table. Lane was the only one to react to the verdict — shaking his head, dropping something on the table and making an audible noise. 

Three of the jurors appeared to wipe away tears during and after the reading.

In closing arguments, the prosecution maintained that all three officers violated Floyd’s rights and their duties by not immediately offering him first aid when he began to struggle to breathe. 

The defense highlighted the officers’ testimonies that they believed Floyd was still breathing, and placed some of the blame on a lack of police training. They cited training and precedent that led the officers to defer to Chauvin, who was their superior. 

Chauvin was convicted of murder in state court in April, and pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge in December.  U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson emphasized to jurors in this trial that Chauvin’s convictions should not influence their decision. 

A makeshift memorial for George Floyd in his former neighborhood in Houston on June 10, 2020.

Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty


On May 25, 2020, the four officers responded to a call where 46-year-old Floyd had been accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill. After Floyd was handcuffed, Chauvin pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes. 

Surrounding them were bystanders who were captured on video yelling at the officers that Floyd was unable to breathe. 

This trial focused on the actions of Lane, Thao and Kueng. During the fatal stop, Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back while Lane held his legs down. 

All three men testified that they suggested alternative methods to restrain Floyd. Lane, the rookie White officer who first called the ambulance, said a decision was made to not use a hobble device, which allows the person to breathe easier while restrained, because it would require them to call a supervisor after he was detained. 

He also said he suggested they roll Floyd on his side after he stopped resisting, but Chauvin said no. Towards the end of his testimony, Lane agreed the situation “could have been handled differently.”

During his testimony, Thao, who is Hmong American, said he was in charge of crowd control and never checked Floyd’s pulse. He also highlighted the three officers’ lack of experience and rank compared to Chauvin. 


Ex-officers on trial for George Floyd’s death

02:02

When asked why he didn’t tell Chauvin to get off of Floyd’s neck, Thao responded, “I think I would trust a 19-year veteran to figure it out,” CBS Minnesota reported

Kueng, the rookie Black officer who knelt on Floyd’s leg, testified that probationary officers were taught to always defer to a superior to the point of unquestioning obedience. He added that he was concerned about their ability to keep Floyd contained, but followed Chauvin’s lead. 

“He was my senior officer and I trusted his advice,” Kueng said.

Lane, Kueng and Thao will also face a state trial, scheduled for June, on charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Charles J. Kovats thanked the jury on Thursday afternoon. 

Kovats said many police across the country fulfill their duty every day, but the three former officers in this trial failed to do so with Floyd. “All sworn officers have a duty to intervene and provide medical aid to those in their custody,” he said. “It’s good policing. In their custody is in their care.”

FBI special agent in charge Michael Paul called the verdict “very important” for the country, adding that it would likely inform the ongoing debate over law enforcement. 

LeeAnn Bell, the assistant to the U.S. Attorney, thanked the jury and Floyd’s family for their patience and diligence, calling it a long and challenging trial “for many reasons.”

In a statement released from the Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Floyd should still be alive.

“Today’s verdict recognizes that two police officers violated the Constitution by failing to intervene to stop another officer from killing George Floyd, and three officers violated the Constitution by failing to provide aid to Mr. Floyd in time to prevent his death,” he wrote.

Source Article from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-floyd-trial-verdict-reached-federal-civil-rights-trial/

March 4 (Reuters) – The United States and its allies heavily criticized Russia on Friday at the United Nations over its shelling and seizure overnight in Ukraine of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, and some demanded that Moscow not let such an attack happen again.

Many of the Security Council’s 15 envoys expressed “grave concern” and shock, warning against the possibility of a repeat of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster – a nuclear accident in Ukraine when it was part of then Soviet Union considered to be the worst in history.

They said the attack was against international humanitarian law and urged Moscow to refrain from any military operations targeting the nuclear facilities and allow Ukrainian personnel to be allowed onto the plant to carry out their work.

“The world narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe last night,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency meeting of the Security Council, convened following the seizure of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine by Russian troops.

“Russia’s attack last night put Europe’s largest nuclear power plant at grave risk. It was incredibly reckless and dangerous. And it threatened the safety of civilians across Russia, Ukraine and Europe,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

As shells hit the area early on Friday, a blaze broke out in a training building – triggering a spasm of alarm around the world before the fire was extinguished and officials said the facility was safe. read more

Ukraine ambassador to the U.N. Sergiy Kyslytsya called for all Russian forces to be withdrawn from the plant and a no-fly zone over the country to protect the civilian population from air attacks.

A general view of the United Nations Security Council meeting after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Officials remained worried about the precarious circumstances, with Ukrainian staff operating under Russian control in battlefield conditions beyond the reach of administrators.

“France strongly condemns this attack on the integrity of a nuclear structure, which we need to guarantee,” Nicolas de Riviere said in his speech. “The results of the aggression of Russia against Ukraine are possibly devastating for human health and the environment,” he added.

United Kingdom ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Woodward said: “It must not happen again. Even in the midst of an illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russia must keep fighting away from and protect the safety and security of nuclear sites.”

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Raphael Grossi described the situation as “normal operations, but in fact there is nothing normal about this.”

Thousands of people are believed to have been killed or wounded and more than 1 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russian began its invasion on Feb. 24. Western nations retaliated with sanctions that have plunged Russia into economic isolation.

Russia’s envoy to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia dismissed Western uproar over the nuclear power plant and called Friday’s Security Council meeting another attempt by Ukrainian authorities to create “artificial hysteria”.

“At present, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and adjacent territory are being guarded by Russian troops,” he said.

Separately, France and Mexico are working on a resolution to the U.N. Security Council next week that will address the humanitarian impact of Russia’s invasion, diplomats said.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source Article from https://www.reuters.com/world/china/un-security-council-hold-emergency-meeting-after-russian-attack-nuclear-plant-2022-03-04/

Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday morning that he intends to oppose a bill that would create a commission to examine the events of Jan. 6 — a reversal from one day ago when he told reporters he was undecided on the plan.

The House approved the commission 252-175, with 35 Republicans voting with Democrats. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in floor remarks earlier Wednesday, reaffirmed his commitment to bringing the commission to a vote on the Senate floor, which would need 60 votes to pass through the divided chamber.

McConnell called the proposal for the commission, which gained some bipartisan support after negotiations from rank-and-file Republicans, “slanted and unbalanced” during his floor remarks.

“House Democrats have handled this proposal in partisan bad faith going right back to the beginning. From initially offering a laughable starting point to continuing to insist on various features under the hood that are designed to centralize control over the commission’s process and its conclusions in Democratic hands,” McConnell said, a day after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy rejected the proposed commission.

Repeating arguments made by some Senate Republicans, McConnell also said it’s unclear whether a commission is needed with multiple Senate and police investigations already ongoing.

“It’s not at all clear what new facts or additional investigation yet another commission could actually lay on top of existing efforts by law enforcement and Congress,” McConnell said. “The facts have come out and they’ll continue to come out.”

McConnell’s comments came after former President Donald Trump released a statement Tuesday night warning that “Republicans in the House and Senate should not approve the Democrat trap of the January 6 Commission.”

“Republicans must get much tougher and much smarter, and stop being used by the Radical Left,” the statement concludes. “Hopefully, Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy are listening!”

It’s unclear where the votes now stand with Senate Republicans, many of whom have not been paying attention to the issue until Tuesday when it was the topic at their weekly, closed-door lunch.

While the House passed the bill Wednesday evening, the Senate won’t take up the legislation until after the weeklong Memorial Day recess that’s scheduled to start next Thursday. Schumer has not yet publicly laid out a timeline for a Senate vote on the commission. When the vote hits the floor will depend on a number of factors including whether amendments will be allowed and if there are enough Republicans to potentially support it and break through filibusters.

There are a handful of Republicans who might vote to support a commission, including some of the seven who voted to convict Trump for “incitement of insurrection.” For example, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., has said he is “inclined to support” a commission. And while Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Maine’s Susan Collins said they want to see some changes to the legislation, like ensuring a final report is published this year and not during next year’s midterms, the duo supports the idea.

“The mob was fed lies,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “They were provoked by the president and other powerful people, and they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like.”

Schumer, in his floor remarks Wednesday, slammed House Republicans for their objection to the commission, calling it “beyond crazy” and accusing Republicans of “caving to Donald Trump.”

“What the Republicans are doing — the House Republicans — is beyond crazy, to be so far under the thumb of Donald J Trump, letting the most dishonest president in American history dictate the prerogatives of the Republican party will be its demise, mark my words,” Schumer said.

On Wednesday, Capitol Police said in a statement that the department does “not take positions on legislation,” after a Democratic House office distributed what they said was an anonymous letter from Capitol Police officers criticizing comments made by GOP leaders about the Jan. 6 commission proposal.

Rep. Jamie Raskin’s office said the letter was given to them by officers who feared retribution, on behalf of 40 to 50 members of the Capitol Police force — a claim ABC News could not immediately verify. Julie Tagen, Raskin’s chief of staff, distributed the letter to an email list of Republican and Democratic chiefs of staff Wednesday afternoon.

ABC News’ Libby Cathey and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mcconnell-announces-opposition-bill-create-jan-commission/story?id=77781169