Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison made it clear that the former Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd will serve his full state conviction despite calls for President Donald Trump to issue him a federal pardon.

During a Sunday (May 11) interview on MSNBC's PoliticsNation, Ellison said the push for Trump to pardon Derek Chauvin is irrelevant when it comes to his state conviction, noting the ex-officer "still owes Minnesota 22.5 years."

“He’s not getting out,” Ellison said in an interview on MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation.”

Chauvin was sentenced in 2021 to 22.5 years in state prison on charges of murder and manslaughter in connection to Floyd's killing. He also pleaded guilty to violating Floyd's civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison. Chauvin is currently serving his sentences concurrently.

In March, right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro announced an online petition to secure a federal pardon for Chauvin, arguing that he was "unjustly convicted" of Floyd's murder, during which the ex-officer pinned his knee on the 46-year-old Black man's neck for roughly nine minutes.

Tech billionaire and head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk said Shapiro's push to pardon Chauvin was "something to think about."

“I think they’re pushing for it because they want to agitate and outrage people,” Ellison told MSNBC of the pardon. “I don’t know if Trump is going to pardon Chauvin or not, but if he does, it doesn’t change his prison sentence. He still owes Minnesota 22 ½ years, and he’s going to do it either in Minnesota or somewhere.”

Trump has previously said he's not considering a pardon for Chauvin despite continued calls from conservatives who argue the ex-officer didn't receive a fair trial due to the attention surrounding the case.

On Sunday, Ellison added that pardon supporters are just looking to "provoke people."

“In no case is it sensible and good for America,” the AG said.

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