Biden administration gets tough with Russia
Chauvin chooses not to testify
THE defence at the murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd wrapped up its case yesterday in Minneapolis – without putting Chauvin on the stand.
Chauvin informed the court that he would not testify, saying he would invoke his right given by the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution not to take the stand.
Judge Peter Cahill asked: “Is this your decision not to testify?”
“It is, your honour,” Chauvin replied. Closing arguments are set for Monday, after which the jury will begin deliberating.
The decision not to testify was announced a day after Dr David Fowler, a forensic pathologist testifying for the defence, said that Mr Floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm disturbance as a result of his heart disease. That contradicted prosecution experts, who said Mr Floyd succumbed to a lack of oxygen from the way he was pinned down by the police officer’s knee outside a store in Minneapolis last May.
Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, is trying to prove that the 19-year Minneapolis police veteran did what he was trained to do and that Mr Floyd died because of his illegal drug use and underlying health problems.
THE Joe Biden administration yesterday announced the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats and sanctions against nearly three dozen people and companies as the United States sought to hold the Kremlin accountable for interference in last year’s presidential election as well as the hacking of federal agencies.
The actions, foreshadowed for weeks by the administration, represent the first retaliatory measures announced against the Kremlin for the hack, familiarly known as the SolarWinds breach.
In that intrusion, Russian hackers are believed to have infected widely used software with malicious code, enabling them to access the networks of at least nine agencies in what US officials believe was an intelligence-gathering operation aimed at mining government secrets.
US officials have also alleged that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised influence operations to help Donald Trump in his unsuccessful bid for re-election as president, though there is no evidence Russia or anyone else changed votes or manipulated the outcome.
The measures announced yesterday include sanctions on six Russian companies that support the country’s cyber activities, in addition to sanctions on 32 individuals and entities accused of attempting to interfere in last year’s presidential election, including by spreading disinformation. The ten diplomats being expelled include representatives of Russian intelligence services, the White House said.
The White House also said Mr Biden was using diplomatic, military and intelligence channels to respond to reports that Russia encouraged the Taliban to attack US and allied troops in Afghanistan based on the “best assessments” of the intelligence community.
Reports of alleged “bounties” surfaced last year, with the Trump administration coming under fire for not raising the issue directly with Russia. The White House did not publicly confirm the reports.
“The safety and wellbeing of US military personnel, and that of our allies and partners, is an absolute priority of the United States,” the White House said yesterday.
It was not immediately clear what, if any, other actions might be planned against Russia. Officials had previously said they expected to take actions both seen and unseen.
The sanctions, presumably intended to send a clear retributive message to Russia and to deter similar acts in the future, are certain to exacerbate an already tense relationship between the US and Russia.
President Joe Biden told Mr Putin this week to “de-escalate tensions” following a Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s border, and said the US would “act firmly in defence of its national interests” regarding Russian intrusions and election interference.