Overview
- Delegates at the Minnesota Republican endorsement convention held a brief moment of silence for Derek Chauvin on Saturday, and local outlets published audio of the roughly 10‑second observance.
- Party officials have insisted the tribute was a spontaneous floor motion brought by a delegate and not an official action of leadership.
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who led Chauvin’s prosecution, called the gesture “an act of profound cruelty” to George Floyd’s family and defended the jury verdict.
- Attorneys for Floyd’s family demanded a retraction and apology from the party and said the tribute disrespected the rule of law.
- The episode comes days after the sixth anniversary of Floyd’s death and risks becoming a campaign issue as endorsed Republican candidates and leaders largely deflect or decline to endorse the tribute.