Chelsea Handler received pushback Tuesday on Twitter for saying it is “pathetic” that Derek Chauvin is receiving a trial when there is video of his interaction with George Floyd. “Perhaps we skip trials when there is audio and video footage of the murder,” she suggested.
“So pathetic that there is a trial to prove that Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd when there is video of him doing so,” said Handler.
So pathetic that there is a trial to prove that Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd when there is video of him doing so.
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) March 30, 2021
Quote tweeting a user who warned that getting rid of trials would make the justice system even more chaotic, Handler floated her solution: “Perhaps we skip trials when there is audio and video footage of the murder.”
Perhaps we skip trials when there is audio and video footage of the murder. https://t.co/MpqAz70OXx
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) March 30, 2021
Handler was met with rebuke for wanting to dispense with due process. “Worst take I’ve seen on Chauvin trial. And that’s a high bar,” columnist Ian Bremmer wrote.
Worst take I’ve seen on Chauvin trial. And that’s a high bar. https://t.co/1nfC6EsRsi
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) March 30, 2021
“Ah that pesky Bill of Rights,” Fox News senior editor David Rutz mocked.
ah that pesky Bill of Rightshttps://t.co/FCblyukUvH
— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) March 30, 2021
“What…do you think a trial is,” responded columnist Natalie Shure.
what…do you think a trial is https://t.co/YRyZRcrmDT
— Natalie Shure (@nataliesurely) March 30, 2021
“No more trials,” journalist Glenn Greenwald scoffed.
No more trials https://t.co/mG5m3K4ZR0
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 30, 2021
Less prominent Twitter users also took Handler to task.
“Ah, yes. let’s just let the government decide what evidence reaches the threshold to skip a trial and just let them sentence as they wish without question,” wrote one user. “If you think the system is biased, you should be smart enough to know you don’t want to give that system less transparency.”
“I think the idea is, you never know when there will be a case where the result seems 100% obvious due to lock-solid evidence, and yet it is the rare instance where somehow something was missed To make sure you never wrongly gloss over that, you always have to follow due process,” another user tweeted.
Handler has been outspoken about her political views, especially since former President Donald Trump came on the scene. As The Daily Wire reported regarding Handler’s views of white privilege:
Handler, whose show “Chelsea Lately” aired on E! from 2007 to 2014, said that “after therapy and kind of taking a look at myself and my surroundings and coming to the realization that my success has a lot to do with my skin color, I wanted to really do something that set an example about how to, you know, contribute because at this point, it’s not enough to just say you’re not racist.”
“You know, you have to be — we have to be working to dismantle the system because we are reaping the benefits in exchange for people losing benefits,” she added.
Recounting how one of her friends grew “weepy” discussing the book “White Fragility” with her, Handler said, “I was like, this is exactly what the problem is. And she was like, no, I’m just telling you. I go, don’t. No, you can’t talk to me about it either anymore. No more white people should be talking about how sad they are. Like, now we know we [expletive] up. Let’s fix the problem.”