The bail fund was once Vice President Kamala Harris The website, which helped secure the release of violent offenders during the 2020 presidential campaign, has attracted attention again, and it appears to still be accepting donations.
As of Monday night, the website was up and running and accepting payments.
“If you’re able, please donate now to the @MNFreedomFund to help pay bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota,” Harris wrote in a 2020 post on Twitter, urging people to donate to the fund during the 2020 election cycle.
Governor Harris proposed setting up a bail fund in June 2020 to help secure bail for Black Lives Matter rioters, but only a small portion of the more than $41 million raised has actually been used to secure the release of rioters.
Minnesota man released by Kamala Harris-backed bail fund now faces murder charges
Based in Minneapolis Fox 9 The fund reported spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure the release of a knife murder suspect and a convicted rapist who was facing charges including sexual assault and kidnapping.
Another criminal who benefited from the funding was George Howard, 48. Minneapolis police said he was involved in a road rage altercation on an on-ramp to Interstate 94 and then shot and killed another driver a few weeks after being released on bail on a domestic violence charge.
St. Paul’s Church said surveillance cameras captured the moment the driver of a blue BMW confronted Howard, who was driving a white Volvo. KSTP TelevisionThe victim is seen punching Howard, then collapsing.
The victim, later identified as Luis Damian Martinez Ortiz, 38, got back into his car and drove into the median strip. He sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at a hospital, city officials said.
According to court records, Howard had been out on $11,500 bail since Aug. 6 in connection to a domestic violence incident, when the Minnesota Freedom Fund posted bail for him.
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Bail funds, promoted by Kamala Harris in 2020 to free violent offenders, have been attracting renewed attention now that Biden has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. (Fox News)
On Aug. 29, he was indicted on two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the interstate shooting.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund posted a tweet on Friday acknowledging the role it played in putting Howard back on the streets.
“We are aware of reports of the tragic shooting that occurred in Minneapolis earlier this week, allegedly involving George Howard, a Minnesota Freedom Fund bail fund sponsor,” the group wrote. “Minnesota Freedom Fund believes that individuals arrested by law enforcement are innocent until proven guilty, and if a judge finds them eligible for bail, they should not be forced to wait in jail simply because they do not have the same income or access to assets as others.”
Kamala Harris-backed bail fund releases same rioter twice, now he’s been charged again
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on June 28, 2024. (Bizayev Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The organization said it was monitoring the incident and reviewing its policies.
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“Under new leadership, MFF is making changes to our policies and procedures and will continue to evaluate them to ensure they meet the safety and needs of our community,” the company said in a subsequent tweet.
According to the Minnesota Freedom Fund’s website, their mission is to “pay cash bail or immigration bonds for people who cannot afford it, because wealth should never dictate who is detained and who is released.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Harris’ campaign for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Lewis contributed to this report.
