“The president has been clearly watching the trial closely as many Americans have been. He was also moved by his convos with the family yesterday,” Psaki said. “The jury is sequestered which is why he spoke to this but I will expect that he will weigh in further once there is a verdict.”
“We’re not going to get ahead of an outcome. I expect when there is a verdict, he will have more to say,” she added.
Biden, who was meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was asked about his phone call with Floyd’s family on Monday that Floyd’s younger brother, Philonise Floyd, detailed in a television interview earlier Tuesday.
Walz issued an executive order on Monday declaring the emergency for several counties amid the potential for unrest sparked by the Chauvin verdict and ongoing protests sparked by the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center last week.
The governor’s order notes that while many demonstrations have been peaceful, “some individuals have engaged in unlawful and dangerous activity, including looting and damaging public and private property.”
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“Local and state resources have been reallocated to assist in the unrest in Brooklyn Center and nearby communities,” Walz’s order reads. “This reallocation has drawn resources away from the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and nearby communities, where there is a threat of civil unrest.”
Biden watching Derek Chauvin verdict from West Wing thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
I’ve seen some of those reports. Many of them are ludicrous. I’ve sat in a lot of meetings with the president of the United States in the last few weeks and even before then, Psaki said at a press briefing. There is no one who is going to tell him what to do or hold him back from his commitment to deliver relief to the American people.
Psaki s comments came after Republican senators said they felt Biden was willing to negotiate with GOP lawmakers to reach a bipartisan agreement on an coronavirus economic relief package, but that his aides were more inclined to push ahead without GOP support.