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Published 10:27 IST, May 30th 2020

Trump: Determined 'justice be served' for Floyd

US President Donald Trump offered his condolences on Friday to the family of George Floyd and said he had asked the Department of Justice to expedite the investigation into Floyd's death.

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US President Donald Trump offered his condolences on Friday to the family of George Floyd and said he had asked the Department of Justice to expedite the investigation into Floyd's death.

Floyd, a black Minnesota man, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes during an arrest. The officer was charged Friday with murder and manslaughter.

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Speaking during a White House event with industry executives, Trump called Floyd's death "a terrible thing" and said it "should never be allowed to happen."

"We are determined that justice be served," Trump said.

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The president said he spoke with Floyd's family, calling them "terrific people," and said he hopes "everything can be fairly taken care of."

"I understand the hurt, I understand the pain," Trump said.

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Still, he called on protesters to demonstrate peacefully. "We can't allow a situation like happened in Minneapolis to descend further into lawless anarchy and chaos," Trump said.

Earlier Friday, Trump threatened in a tweet to send in the National Guard to quell protesters, saying, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."

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Twitter hid the tweet, saying that particular line violates its policies "regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context" and "could inspire similar actions today."

 

10:27 IST, May 30th 2020