livefree-ordie isn't up to the task -- Fact Check: Did Kamala Harris Back Bail Fund For "Murderers And Rapists"?
Published Oct 25, 2022 at 5:51 AM EDT
VIDEO Harris Responds To Claims She Supported Fund That Bailed Violent Criminals
By Tom Norton
As the heat of the November midterms rises, each side of the aisle will be digging through their opponent's history and political records for even the slightest blemish.
The so-called culture wars remain a cornerstone of the Republican campaign, as does its traditional views on law and order, so the opportunity to discredit Vice President Kamala Harris on both points seemed tailormade for the GOP.
Vice president Kamala Harris was said to have supported a bail fund that helped release murderers and rapists. Pictured here, Harris speaks near the scene of a mass shooting yesterday during a Fourth of July... Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
Multiple tweets, sent on October 23, 2022, claim that Kamala Harris advocated a legal fund that has been used to help "murderers and rapists" get out of jail.
One tweet read: "Kamala Harris says it's "misinformation" that she promoted the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a far-left organization that has bailed violent criminals—including accused murderers and rapists — out of jail. She's lying."
The Facts
The Minnesota Freedom Fund was set up in 2016 to pay criminal bail and immigration bonds for people who can't afford them.
Although the fund has been operating for six years, it gained wider recognition in 2020 when it was used in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Among those in support of the fund was Kamala Harris, who tweeted "If you're able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota."
Harris does not appear to have publicly shown her support for the fund or otherwise commented about it beyond the George Floyd protests in 2020.
While the fund has been associated with providing bail for a number of individuals accused or found guilty of crimes including murder and rape, these were not the people that Harris, quite clearly, was advocating for.
Harris has faced criticism for her support of the MFF since she first tweeted about it. News stories from right-leaning media outlets have gone to lengths to list suspects who have accessed the fund.
Fox News reignited the story recently with news that a man bailed out by MFF allegedly murdered someone while on release.
Shawn Michael Tillman, 33, faces one count of second-degree murder following the shooting of an unnamed 37-year-old man in May 2022. Mirella Ceja-Orozco and Elizer Darris, Co-Executive Directors of the MFF, in a statement responding to stories about Tillman, said he had been provided "bail support on a gross misdemeanor charge unrelated to the charges for which Mr. Tillman is currently on trial."
"It is a tragedy and a profound loss when a member of our community is taken by violence, and our thoughts are with the victim's family as they seek justice for their loved one through the criminal legal system."
Ceja-Orozco and Darris added that it was judges who decided whether and under what conditions to grant bail and "that it is only ability to pay that determines whether a person remains incarcerated or goes home to await the resolution of their case."
"Minnesota Freedom Fund believes wealth should not decide the difference between pre-trial detention and pre-trial release," they added.
In any case, not only were these charges made after the George Floyd protest, they are, again, completely unrelated to the direction of Harris' appeal on Twitter.
The MFF's mission brief has been slightly editorialized in some of the tweets about Harris too. While it offers the funds to support those left with bail charges they can't afford, granting bail is at the discretion of a judge. Ultimately, as a bond, if someone skips the terms of their bail they may be left with additional charges further to those they already face.
The vice president responded to claims being made about her support of the MFF on CBS earlier this week, stating "I think that unfortunately what we're seeing is people are playing political games right now.
"We're 18 days away from midterms and we have sadly not seen a lack of misinformation and disinformation and I think this is another one of those examples."
It's not the first time that Kamala Harris' support of MFF has been mischaracterized. In 20221, North Carolina Representative Madison Cawthorn claimed without evidence that Harris had donated to the fund, referring to protestors as "violent Antifa rioters."
Newsweek has contacted Kamala Harris for comment.
The Ruling
Needs Context.
In 2020 Kamala Harris did encourage donations towards the Minnesota Freedom Fund via Twitter.
However, her message was connected to protestors arrested in Minnesota who had taken to the streets after the death of George Floyd, some of whom faced lengthy arraignments in jail with no money for bail.
It appears that Harris has not spoken about the fund since. Others, charged later with crimes unconnected to the protests, were not advocated for release by Harris, and also were not offered bail funds for charges on those crimes.
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