Derek Chauvin trial judge says 'abhorrent' comments by US congresswoman Maxine Waters could jeopardise verdict

A California congresswoman's comments about Derek Chauvin's murder trial could have given the former officer grounds for an appeal, the judge in the case said.

Judge Peter Cahill called Maxine Waters's comments "abhorrent" as he exhorted elected officials to stop disrespecting "the rule of law".

Ms Waters joined protesters in the area over the weekend and suggested they should "get more confrontational" if Mr Chauvin was acquitted.

The 45-year-old faces manslaughter and murder charges after pinning George Floyd to the ground for more than nine minutes in a fatal arrest last May.

As the jury began their deliberations on Monday afternoon, the defence made a last-minute request for a mistrial based on "intimidating" comments from Ms Waters.

Defence lawyer Eric Nelson also argued the huge amount of news coverage over the case meant it would have been impossible for jurors to avoid consuming some of the press around the trial.

Judge Cahill rejected the motion for a mistrial, but told the defence: "Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned".

Visibly irritated, he said: "I wish elected officials would stop talking about this case, especially in a manner that is disrespectful to the rule of law... their failure to do so is abhorrent."

But he added: "I don't think it has prejudiced us with additional material that would prejudice this jury. They have been told not to watch the news. I trust they are following those instructions."

Ms Waters, a Democrat, had joined protesters on Saturday outside the Brooklyn Center Police headquarters, just 10 miles from where Mr Chauvin's trial is taking place.

Ms Waters told the crowd she wanted to see a murder conviction against Mr Chauvin.

When asked what should happen if the ex-officer is not convicted on murder charges, she replied: "We gotta stay on the street, we've got to get more active, we've got to get more confrontational, we've got to make sure that they know that we mean business."

Conservatives have seized on the comments, accusing Ms Waters of inflaming tensions as Minneapolis looks to prevent a repeat of the looting and destruction that occurred after Mr Floyd's death last May.

The California Democrat has long been a lightning rod for conservatives, infuriating Republicans in 2018 when she told supporters to publicly confront Trump administration figures in public places like restaurants or shops.

The congresswoman has also been a longtime advocate for racial and economic justice, and was a leading advocate for policing reform in the aftermath of the brutal police beating of activist Rodney King.

Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, said he intended to introduce a resolution in the chamber censuring Ms Waters for her "dangerous comments".

However Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House Speaker, argued Ms Waters' comments should be viewed in the context of the long struggle toward civil rights.

"Maxine talked about confrontation in the manner of the Civil Rights movement," she told reporters at the Capitol, adding that she did not think the congresswoman should apologise.