Will Vice President Kamala Harris Be First to Speak After Derek Chauvin Verdict in Killing of George Floyd?

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Is it possible that Vice President Kamala Harris will be the first to comment on the verdict in Derek Chauvin’s trial for the killing of George Floyd?

As the jury deliberates the evidence in the Chauvin, President Joe Biden faces a difficult task in planning for a verdict that will be enormously consequential no matter which way it goes. While there have been verdicts in flashpoint cases in the past, this one takes place in a uniquely fraught context that makes the White House response particularly important.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki demonstrated the dilemma Biden faces when she was asked about the president’s feelings on a potential “not guilty” verdict.

“If it is a ‘not guilty,’ verdict, will the President be disappointed?” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Monday.

“I think we’re not going to get ahead of the jury — the legal process and the jury making their deliberations, Kaitlan,” Psaki said, adding “And when the jury makes their deliberations and concludes and a verdict is found, I’m certain the President will speak to that.”

But with the exception of Biden’s immediate predecessor, it has been the practice of presidents not to weigh in on legal processes like these, but rather, as President Barack Obama did, to refuse comment and pivot to the broader issues involved. And in Chauvin’s case, there has already been concern raised about the potential for a reversal on appeal.

It’s the most delicate of situations, one which could end up being handled by the first Black woman to serve as vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris.

Political observers have noted, to varying degrees, the partnership that has emerged between President Biden and his VP. But here’s a stat that you might not be aware of: in four years, former Vice President Mike Pence only put out three solo statements through the White House — and one of those was about his decision to walk out of a Colts game early.

Last night, after 89 days in office, VP Harris released her fourth solo statement, on the passing of former Vice President Walter Mondale.

Additionally, following the horrific mass murders of 8 people at businesses owned by people of Asian descent, Vice President Harris, not President Biden, was first to comment publicly on the killings. Often, administration officials will defer comment until the boss has had a chance to weigh in, but Harris had a free hand.

And that was no fluke, as just days later, Harris was once again first to comment on a horrific mass shooting, this time in Boulder, Colorado.

In the case of the Chauvin verdict, legal considerations, among others, appear to dictate a carefully calibrated response, one which might go down easier coming from VP Harris than from Biden.

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