Washington, D.C. (Tuesday, April 20, 2021) – President Biden is calling the guilty verdict of ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin “a giant step forward.”  Speaking from the White House this evening just hours after a jury convicted Chauvin on all three counts in the death of George Floyd, Biden called systemic racism a stain on our nation’s soul and he called on Congress to act swiftly to address policing reform.

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke before Biden’s remarks and said lawmakers now need to take action in passing the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act. “Today, we feel a sigh of relief.  Still, it cannot take away the pain.  A measure of justice is not the same as equal justice,” Harris said.

Biden said he was heartened by the jury’s verdict. Nothing can ever bring their brother, their father back, but this can be a giant step forward in the march towards justice in America,” Biden said.

President Biden and Vice President Harris were reported to have watched the verdict from the Private Dining Room in the White House.  A senior administration officials described the reaction as a collective exhale.