'A country with an open wound': Biden says he spoke with George Floyd's family, promises 'justice'

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Friday he talked to the family of George Floyd and promised them that he would do everything in his power to make sure there would be "justice" for his death in Minneapolis police custody.

"We are a country with an open wound. None of us any longer can hear the words ‘I can’t breathe’ and do nothing," he said, in a roughly five-minute-long video address.

Appearing to reference tweets by President Donald Trump criticizing the protesters in Minneapolis, Biden said, "This is no time for incendiary tweets. It’s no time to encourage violence."

"Folks, we got to stand up. We’ve gotta move. We’ve gotta change," he concluded,

President Donald Trump has not yet had any contact with Floyd's family. When asked by a reporter Thursday if he had talked to the family, Trump said he had not, but "I feel very, very badly. And it's a very shocking sight."

Biden's call for action comes as members of Congress from both parties have united in calling for justice in the death of George Floyd after a violent night of protests turned the nation's attention toward Minneapolis.

Floyd, a black man, died in Minneapolis police custody this week after a white officer pinned him to the ground under his knee. His death sparked demonstrations against police brutality and racial discrimination in cities across the United States.

While Democrats and Republicans called for accountability to be taken in Floyd's death, many condemned the protests that turned violent. In Minneapolis Thursday evening, some looted buildings and a police precinct was set on fire.

More: George Floyd protests erupt across nation: Police clear streets after fires in Minneapolis; violence in Columbus, Louisville

More: Minneapolis police at center of George Floyd’s death had a history of complaints

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who represents the Minneapolis suburbs, called for action in a Twitter post.

"The evil that took George Floyd and the evil burning through Minneapolis will not be extinguished by a policy - rather by a people. A people committed to listening, understanding, and action. Who’s ready?" he wrote.

"People are rightfully angry — rightfully demanding justice," Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., wrote on Twitter.

In a Washington Post op-ed Friday, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., a former law enforcement officer and chief of the Orlando Police Department, called for "'full and swift accountability" for police officers involved in Floyd's death. Addressing her "brothers and sisters in blue," she asked "What in the hell are you doing?"

"As law enforcement officers, we took an oath to protect and serve. And those who forgot – or who never understood that oath in the first place – must go. That includes those who would stand by as they witness misconduct by a fellow officer," she wrote.

Lawmakers from the Congressional Black Caucus also took to Twitter to express support for peaceful protesters.

"These protests are not just about George Floyd," wrote Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who represents Minneapolis, told reporters outside the Capitol Thursday it was "devastating" to know the frustration of protesters and see the city burn.

"To watch our city burn really is one of the most devastating things that has happened to us. It's also devastating to know the anger and the frustration that people feel," she said, noting that "violence begets violence."

Omar called for a "balance" between peaceful protest and work "to protect one another."

House Judiciary Committee Democrats sent a letter to the Department of Justice asking for a formal investigation into Floyd's death and into patterns of police misconduct. Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said the panel would conduct oversight and consider legislation in the coming weeks to address "racial profiling, excessive force by law enforcement and lost trust between police departments and the communities they serve."

Later Thursday, Attorney General William Barr announced a federal investigation into the circumstances of Floyd's death.

More: Trump says violent Minneapolis protests dishonor George Floyd’s memory, Twitter labels ‘shooting’ tweet as ‘glorifying violence’

More: CNN's Omar Jimenez and crew arrested, released while covering protests over George Floyd death

Republican lawmakers expressed regret for Floyd's death but also expressed concern about reports of looting in Minneapolis and the arrest of a CNN correspondent and his production crew at a protest Friday morning.

Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., said "someone needs to step in and take charge of this entire situation and lead ASAP!"

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the deaths of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor "have shaken our nation."

"For millions and millions of outraged Americans, these tragedies do not appear as isolated incidents, but as the latest disturbing chapters in our long, unfinished American struggle to ensure that equal justice under law is not conditional on the color of one’s skin," McConnell said in a statement.

McConnell said he supports the right of peaceful protest, but said, "Stealing, burning down buildings, attacking law enforcement officers, or laying siege to police precincts is not speech or protest. It is violent crime that victimizes innocent people."

Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., denounced those using the protests to incite "chaos and violence in their own backyards."

"Their actions dishonor George Floyd's memory and inflict more pain on a community that is already suffering," he wrote on Twitter.

"Riots & looting are self-defeating & never justified," wrote Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who also called for a "thorough investigation & appropriate accountability" for Floyd's death.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., said on Fox News "justice needs to be served" for Floyd's death but "let's not tarnish his memory" by "destroying cities."

First lady Melania Trump also expressed condolences for Floyd's family and said there was no need for violence.

"As a nation, let's focus on peace, prayers & healing," she wrote on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Floyd Minneapolis protests: Biden speaks with Floyd's family