Drake has already issued his take on this interview between Thomas Lane's lawyer and CNN host Chris Cuomo, but there's quite a bit more to unpack from it.

Lane, one of the four police officers responsible for the death of George Floyd, had his lawyer, Earl Gray conduct an interview with Chris Cuomo where they discussed Lane's defense and the case. The interview resulted in a few incendiary remarks on Gray's side.

Gray attempted to flip things so that was it the public's fault that Floyd died, which Cuomo stopped immediately to counter. "If the public is there and they're so in an uproar about this, they didn't intercede either," Gray said, referring to those who witnessed and filmed the murder. 

"I understand that he has a senior officer telling him what to do, but he also has a duty to intervene," Cuomo said. "The idea that the civilians should have rushed in to a policing situation in the inner city of Minneapolis against four police officers that have weapons and are kneeling on the kneck of a man- don't you think that's asking too much of civilians and a little too little of your client?"

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images & Ramsey County Sheriff's Office Getty Images 

Gray doesn't seem to have anything else to say in response to Cuomo's remarks but agree. "Absolutely," he said before stumbling over his words, "I just brought that up..." You can watch this particular clip in the tweet below.

Lane is among the four Minneapolis police officers who have been charged in the murder of George Floyd. Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, J.A. Kueng and Derek Chauvin were on the scene, and did nothing while Floyd pleaded in his last breathes, and told them: “I can’t breathe.”

Chauvin was arrested first, quickly after the video went viral. From there, as protests erupted (and continue in their second week) across the country, the three other officers were also handed down arrest warrants, and now remain locked up on $1 million bail, while Chauvin’s bail has been set at $1.25 million.

Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images

Lane, alongside his two former colleagues Thao and Kueng, were charged with aiding and abetting in Floyd’s death. Lane and Kueng have both attempted to wash their hands of the charge, by casting blame solely on Chauvin.

Last night, Lane’s lawyer, Earl Gray, did an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo where he used a similar method of deflecting the blame from his client– by casting the blame on those civilians who witnessed the whole murder unfold. Yes, Gray actually said: “If the public is there and they’re so in an uproar about this, they didn’t intercede either.”

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images

Now, TMZ has reported that Lane is actually asking for the public to help fund his defense. It seems unbelievable, but reportedly Lane and his family have set up a website, where they’re soliciting donations. The website attempts to make a case for Lane’s defense as well, bringing up several points that Gray also iterated in last night’s interview. Things like: Lane was the one who suggested they roll Floyd over on his side (but they didn’t), as well as the fact that Lane called the ambulance for Floyd, and attempted to perform CPR on him when the ambulance arrived.

Ultimately, Lane says that he did everything that the chain of command allowed him to do.

What do you think of this latest development? 

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We don’t expect Drake to be the most politically-minded or politically-outspoken artist, however, the Toronto-bred artist has been coming through with a few remarks and reactions to the death of George Floyd, and the social upheaval that has followed.

When we waited to find out if the other three officers, all of whom stood around Derek Chauvin as he kneeled on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes, would be charged, Drake shared an image in his IG Story revealing he too was anxious for the outcome. Today, he’s done similarly, sharing his view of the T.V. as he watched an interview between Thomas Lane’s lawyer and Chris Cuomo on CNN. Lane is one of the three officers charged in aiding and abetting Derek Chauvin in the murder of Floyd.

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Drake wrote in reaction to the interview: “Thomas Lane lawyer struggling through an ATTEMPT to justify this situation live on television…can’t even decide how to defend his client, this shit is foul to watch.”

And now, there’s a report circulating that Lane is actually seeking the public’s help to fund his defense in this whole situation. Lane appears to be saying he did everything that the chain of command would allow, in the situation. 

We’ll keep you posted.

J Alexander Kueng and Thomas K. Lane, two of the former Minneapolis police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd, are casting sole blame on Derek Chauvin for the 46-year-old Black man’s death on their watch. On Thursday (June 4th), all three officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter made their first court appearance in the case. Both Kueng and Lane’s attorneys are rejecting the accusations that their client played any critical role in the killing of Floyd, who died after former officer Chauvin knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds until he stopped breathing.

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“What is my client supposed to do but follow what the [senior] officer says?” Lane’s attorney, Earl Gray, argued in court. “The strength of this case, your honor, in my opinion is extremely weak.” 

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Video shows Lane, a rookie officer who was working his fourth day as a full-time officer on the day of Floyd’s death, restraining Floyd’s legs as Chauvin choked him with his knee. Keung, working his third shift ever as a full-time officer, kept a firm grip of Floyd’s back as he pleaded for mercy.

“What was [Lane] supposed to do…go up to Mr. Chauvin and grab him and throw him off?” asked Gray. He argued that there was no evidence to charge his client. Kueng’s attorney, Thomas Plunkett, attempted to make a similar argument. “At all times Mr. Kueng and Mr. Lane turned their attention to that 19-year veteran,” Plunkett noted. “[Kueng] was trying — they were trying to communicate that this situation needs to change direction.”

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images

According to charging documents, Lane had asked Chauvin twice if they should roll Floyd onto his side, but he was shut down. At one point, Kueng took Floyd’s pulse but “couldn’t find one,” according to the criminal complaint.

“We recognize the statements that this defendant made,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank, the prosecutor on this case, regarding Lane, “but beyond that, [he] did nothing but hold the victim down [and] started CPR too late.”

Chauvin is facing charges second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter charges. His bail has been set at $1 million, and he is scheduled to make his first court appearance in the case on Monday, June 8th.

Three former police officers involved in the death of George Floyd have had their bails set at $1 million. 

J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao were all taken into police custody following the public outrage revolving around George Floyd’s death. They were charged with abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. A judge set bail for Kueng, Lane, and Thao at $1 million, or $750,000 under certain provisions.

Those conditions include not being able to contact anybody in Floyd’s family and not working in law enforcement.

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images — Tou Thao poses for a mugshot

The three officers were charged this week after Derek Chauvin, the cop that pinned his knee against Floyd’s neck and back for nearly nine minutes, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder last week. After investigating the case, Chauvin’s charges were upgraded to second-degree murder.

A memorial was held today for George Floyd in Minneapolis, which was attended by Kevin Hart, T.I, Ludacris, Tyler Perry, Tiffany Haddish, and more. 

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images — Thomas Lane poses for a mugshot

It was reported in an autopsy that Floyd had tested positive for COVID-19. However, that was not determined to be what killed him. According to the two autopsies conducted, he was killed by homicide.

We will continue to keep you updated on the cases being built against Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao.

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This afternoon, prosecutors announced that Derek Chauvin, the man directly responsible for the heinous act against George Floyd, will be charged with second-degree murder. Additionally, the three other officers at the scene also face charges. Here are some reactions to the news from some celebs who have been actively engaged in the dialogue. 

Ramsey County Sheriff's Office Getty Images & Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Getty Images

Ice-T

The rapper has long been vocal about systemic racism in the country, and he shared news of the upgraded charges to Twitter. 

The former officers involved in George Floyd’s murder have been officially charges for their connection to his death. The Attorney General made the announcement today, along with elevating Derek Chauvin’s charge to second-degree murder. Though it’s only the first step, it’s a promising one, at least in the way that politicians and government officials are dealing with Floyd’s death in Minnesota. 

TMZ has officially reported that their mugshots are in. The mugshots of the three officers, a teary-eyed Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, surfaced online earlier today. Along with that, the tabloid publication revealed that the bail for all three of them is set at $1M. It’s a major step forward for justice for George Floyd and his family, though we’ll have to hope that the conviction will be made for their crimes.

The three officers were taken into custody and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting manslaughter — all felony charges. Each of them are now facing 40 years each for the murder of George Floyd, though it’s unlikely they will be punished with the max. sentence. 

AG Ellison made it clear that he’s making sure that the case against all four officers is as strong as possible, asking the public to be patient while adding that a conviction would be “will be hard.”

Charges against the three other police officers who surrounded George Floyd, while Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck and killed him, have officially been announced. While this is a small step in the right direction, we are still awaiting charges for the police officers involving in shooting and that killing Breonna Taylor while she slept in her home. Let alone, making changes to the policies in general, the policies which allow for systemic racism to persist. 

Nonetheless, Minnesota Attorney Keith Ellison announced the upgraded charges against Derek Chauvin during a press conference today, upping his charge from third degree murder to second degree murder.

As well, he revealed that arrest warrants have been issued for Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J.A.Kueng. Chauvin remains in police custody. Finally, Ellison announced that they've filed a complaint "that charges police officer Kueng, Lane and Thao with aiding and abetting murder int he 2nd degree, a felony offense."

Gov. Tim Walz issued a statement following the announcement of these charges, calling it a "meaningful step toward justice for George Floyd."

He continued, " But we must also recognize that the anguish driving protests around the world is about more than one tragic incident. George Floyd's death is the symptom of a disease. We will not wake up one day and have the disease of systemic racism cured for us. This is on each of us to solve together, and we have hard work ahead. We owe that much to George Floyd, and we owe that much to each other."

Check out a clip from the news conference below, where Ellison announces the charges.

As the world watched the video of George Floyd being murdered by Derek Chauvin, many have demanded for justice. Chauvin was ultimately charged with third-degree murder, though it was announced that they increased that to second-degree murder. It’s a major step forward for justice. The other three cops that were at the scene and did nothing have yet to face any charges but according to the Star Tribune, they will be later today.

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Per the Star Tribune, Attorney General Keith Ellison will be filing charges against Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane for their involvement in George Floyd’s death. A source close to the publication revealed that the three officers will be charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. AG Ellison has yet to formally announce that these charges will be laid against the other three officers but he will be expected to make a statement later today. 

Though it’s only the beginning, the charges come after a week of protests that have grown increasingly more tense. There have been protests in all 50 states across America with international demonstrations being held in Europe and Canada in support of holding police officers accountable in the United States and around the world.