Texas Gov Floats Pardons For 19 Cops Indicted For Excessive Force During 2020 George Floyd Protests

The Texas Tribune reports:

Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday blasted the indictment of more than a dozen Austin police officers for alleged excessive force during the May 2020 racial justice protests — and dangled the possibility of pardons for them.

“Those officers should be praised for their efforts, not prosecuted,” Abbott said in a statement. “Time will tell whether the accusations against the courageous Austin police officers is a political sham. Time will also tell whether I, as Governor, must take action to exonerate any police officer unjustly prosecuted.”

The indictments accuse the 19 officers of using deadly weapons to injure nearly a dozen demonstrators and threatening them with serious bodily harm during the May 2020 protests against police brutality following the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Michael Ramos in Austin.

Read the full article.

Gov. Greg Abbott floats pardons for Austin police officers charged with excessive force in 2020 protests https://t.co/UXuuSYic8q via @TexasTribune

— Suzanne Gamboa (@SuzGamboa) February 23, 2022

NEW: Texas Governor @GregAbbott_TX apparently dangles pardoning @Austin_Police officers prosecuted for assaulting protesters in 2020. pic.twitter.com/l1Vg6JMQJn

— Matt Largey (@mattlargey) February 23, 2022