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u.s. news Diaranson 4 augustus 2021

Ex-cops charged in Floyd death want separation from Chauvin

(AP) — Three former Minneapolis police of-
ficers charged with violating George Floyd’s
civil rights are asking that their federal trials
be separated from the trial of Derek Chauvin,
who has already been convicted on state mur-
der charges for kneeling on Floyd’s neck as
the Black man pleaded for air.

Attorneys for J. Kueng and Tou Thao said in court
filings Tuesday that their clients would be unfairly
prejudiced if they went to trial alongside Chauvin.
An attorney for Thomas Lane filed a motion asking
to join in his co-defendants’ request.

Keung’s attorney, Tom Plunkett, said evidence
against Chauvin would confuse the jury and de-
prive Kueng of his right to a fair trial. He also said
there is a conflict of interest due to Chauvin’s level
of culpability in Floyd’s death, saying “the jurors Chauvin pinned him to the ground on May 25, filing that he wants Thao to be tried apart from all
will not be able to follow the Court’s instructions 2020. Kueng and Lane helped restrain Floyd; Kue- of his co-defendants, including Chauvin. While
and compartmentalize the evidence as it related to ng knelt on Floyd’s back, and Lane held Floyd’s his filing mentions only Chauvin by name, it says:
Mr. Kueng.” legs. Thao held back bystanders and kept them “The jury will have insurmountable difficulty dis-
from intervening during the 9 1/2-minute restraint tinguishing the alleged acts of each defendant from
A federal grand jury indicted Chauvin, Kueng, that was captured on bystander video and led to the alleged acts of his co-defendants.”
Thao and Lane in May, alleging they violated worldwide protests and calls for change in policing.
Floyd’s rights while acting under government au- Paule said Thao’s Fifth Amendment right to not
thority as Floyd was restrained face-down, hand- The federal indictment alleges Chauvin violated incriminate himself would be in jeopardy if the tri-
cuffed and not resisting. Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure als were held together.
and from unreasonable force by a police officer.
The four officers were also charged in state court, Thao and Kueng are charged with violating Floyd’s “Mr. Thao will obtain a fair and more impartial
where Chauvin’s trial was eventually separated right to be free from unreasonable seizure by not trial he is tried separately from his co-defendants,”
from the others due to space restrictions during the intervening to stop Chauvin as he knelt on Floyd’s Paule wrote.
COVID-19 pandemic. Chauvin was convicted of neck. All four officers are charged for their failure
murder and manslaughter and was sentenced to 22 to provide Floyd with medical care. The officers are scheduled to be arraigned on Sept.
1/2 years in prison. The other three former officers 14. A trial date has not been set.
face state trial next March on aiding and abetting The requests to separate the trials were filed with
counts. several other routine requests on Tuesday. Chauvin is also charged in a separate federal in-
dictment alleging he violated the civil rights of a
Floyd, 46, repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe as Bob Paule, an attorney for Thao, suggested in his 14-year-old boy in 2017.

Harris to focus on security, economic ties on SE Asia trip

(AP) — Vice President mitment to a free and open and standing up for our val- sharply under Biden’s prede-
Kamala Harris will visit Indo-Pacific region, with a ues as we do with all of our cessor, Donald Trump, and Deputy Secretary of State
Southeast Asia later this focus on reinforcing regional friends and partners,” he said. the two sides remain at odds Wendy Sherman traveled
month aiming to bol- security in the area. over a host of issues includ- to Indonesia, Thailand and
ster U.S. engagement in The full details of Harris’ trip ing technology, cybersecurity Cambodia in May and early
the region in an effort to “The vice president will meet are still being worked out, and human rights. June. Last month she vis-
counter China’s growing with government officials, but for her second foreign ited Japan, South Korea and
influence globally. leaders, people in the private trip and first trip as vice pres- Last week, during a speech at Mongolia before heading to
sector and civil society, and ident overseas, she is plan- the Office of the Director of China for high-level talks
In an early preview of the she’ll focus on strengthening ning a weeklong engagement National Intelligence, Biden that ultimately did little to
goals for her trip to Singapore U.S. leadership, expanding in the region — from Aug. warned that Chinese Presi- resolve many of the deep
and Vietnam, Harris depu- security cooperation, deep- 20 to 26 — a significantly dent Xi Jinping is “deadly divisions between the two
ty national security adviser ening economic partnerships, longer trip than her two-day earnest about becoming the countries.
Phil Gordon said the vice defending the international tour through Guatemala and most powerful military force
president will emphasize the rules-based order, in particu- Mexico in June. Then, she in the world, as well as the Harris will be the first U.S.
Biden administration’s com- lar in the South China Sea, met with the leaders of both largest and most prominent vice president to visit Viet-
countries to discuss ways to economy in the world by the nam, and her trip is meant to
address the root causes of mi- mid-’40s, the 2040s.” show the depth of the U.S.
gration to the U.S. from the commitment to the region.
region, a central focus of her The president has sent some
portfolio as vice president. of his top Cabinet officials to “The National Security
Asia to show support for U.S. Council was very support-
Harris has had less public en- allies in the region. ive of the notion that the
gagement in Southeast Asia, vice president would be well
but Asia has been a central Secretary of State Antony placed to complement those
focus for the Biden admin- Blinken and Defense Secre- other meetings and visits
istration from the beginning tary Lloyd Austin made their with travel to Singapore and
of Joe Biden’s presidency, as first overseas trip to Japan and Vietnam,” Gordon said. “It’s
he’s sought to counter Chi- South Korea. Austin traveled really part of an overall uni-
na’s diplomatic and military to Singapore, Vietnam and fied administration engage-
incursions in the region. the Philippines last month ment strategy that shows our
where he vowed U.S. sup- comprehensive engagement
Relations between the U.S. port against Beijing’s intru- in East Asia, South Asia and
and China deteriorated sions in the South China Sea. Southeast Asia as well.”