Attorney Freeman On Being Disqualified: 'We Followed' The Rules

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says Judge Peter Cahill was wrong to disqualify him and three other lawyers from the George Floyd case for what Cahill described as "sloppy" work.

At a pretrial hearing Friday, Cahill criticized Freeman because his office did not send a non-attorney to be at their interview of Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker.

Cahill said attorneys Amy Sweasy and Patrick Lofton were "sloppy in not having someone else present" at the interview.

Freeman says his office followed the rules set by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

"In short, the rules were set by the Minnesota Supreme Court and we followed them," read Freeman's public statement Friday.

"Any suggestion by Judge Cahill that the work of Sweasy and Lofton was sloppy is incorrect," he continued. "The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office fully stands by the work, dedication and commitment of two of the state’s best prosecutors.

"That third party Judge Cahill mentioned does not need to be a non-attorney. This ruling is meaningless. Sweasy and Lofton asked to leave the case on June 3, and Frank is the attorney of record, making Sweasy and Lofton valid third-parties and eligible to be called as witnesses by the defense."

Freeman says his office is confident Cahill's order will eventually be withdrawn or modified.

In July, Gov. Tim Walz appointed Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison as the special prosecutor in the Floyd case. At that time, the plan was that Freeman would assist Ellison.

Read Freeman's entire statement here.