‘Bar is far too high’ for convicting the police, says Joe Biden

Joe Biden believes the “bar is far too high” to secure convictions for police officers, the White House said yesterday as the US president promised to fly George Floyd’s family to Washington when Congress passes reforms.

Mr Biden said the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the white officer who knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes until he stopped breathing, marked a “moment of significant change” for the country. Mr Chauvin, who is being held in Minnesota’s only maximum-security prison, is being kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours amid concerns for his safety.

In a phone call with the Floyd family, Mr Biden said the landmark conviction “gives us a shot to deal with genuine, systemic racism” and vowed to push Congress to enact legislation to increase police accountability.

A bill in Mr Floyd’s name – the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act – was passed in the House of Representatives in March, but faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

The verdict in the Floyd case has renewed focus on the bill, and adds to the pressure on Mr Biden, who came to office vowing to address racial injustice but has done little to ensure passage of the Floyd Act since becoming president.

The White House yesterday said Mr Biden was a “strong supporter” of the bill, adding he would use his speech to a joint session of Congress next week to call for police reform legislation. The long-anticipated address on April 28 will mark 100 days in office and is being seen as a road map for Mr Biden’s policy priorities over the next few months.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said Mr Biden had “every intention” of using the major speech to elevate “the importance of putting police reform measures in place”.

“He believes the bar for convicting officers is too high. It needs to be changed,” she said yesterday.

The Floyd Act would ban chokeholds, no-knock warrants and racial profiling, as well as creating a national police misconduct registry and overhauling qualified immunity, which grants officers protections against litigation.

To pass the legislation, Democrats will need the support of Republican senators amid staunch opposition to elements of the legislation, in particular the change to qualified immunity.

However, there were hopeful signs on Capitol Hill yesterday, with Republican senator Tim Scott holding talks with the two Democrats who introduced the Floyd Act – senator Cory Booker and congresswoman Karen Bass.

Mr Scott said he was proposing legislation that would make it easier for victims of police violence to sue police departments, rather than individual officers.

“I think we are on the verge of wrapping this up in the next week or two, depending on how quickly they respond to our suggestions,” he said.

Lindsey Graham, a senior Republican senator, appeared to throw his support behind the measure. Some remain sceptical that the two parties could come to an agreement.

But Mr Biden appeared confident of success as he told the Floyd family: “You better all get ready, because when we do it, we’re going to put you on Air Force One and get you here. I guarantee it.”

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]