Kamala Harris posted a donation link on social media to the Minnesota Freedom Fund in June of 2020
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A CBS News affiliate found itself under scrutiny after it suggested former President Trump had “falsely” accused Vice President Kamala Harris of supporting a bail fund aiding violent criminals.
On Thursday, CBS Minnesota affiliate WCCO posted on social media, “Trump falsely accuses Harris of donating to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, bailing out ‘dangerous criminals.’” The post racked up nearly 7 million views in less than a day.
The station was reacting to Trump’s comments at a North Carolina rally where he suggested Harris was lenient on crime by “helping raise” millions for a bail fund that released violent criminals.
During the 2020 campaign, Harris encouraged her social media followers to contribute to the Minnesota Freedom Fund to bail out those arrested during protests following George Floyd’s death. “If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota,” she tweeted in June 2020.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally on June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
However, the Minnesota Freedom Fund faced criticism for using donations to bail out individuals accused of serious crimes, including rape and murder. Minneapolis-based FOX 9 reported the fund spent hundreds of thousands to free an alleged knife murderer and a twice-convicted rapist facing additional charges of sexual assault and kidnapping.
Another individual, George Howard, 48, benefited from the fund’s assistance. Howard, who was bailed out despite domestic assault charges, was later involved in a road rage incident on Interstate 94, which led to him allegedly shooting another driver.
Critics accused the CBS station of spreading falsehoods and marked the post with a Community Note.
“The accusation is not false. Kamala has promoted MFF in the past, and her social media post supporting it is still active,” the note stated, providing a link to Harris’s original tweet which included an active donation link.
WCCO’s story includes Harris’s 2020 tweet asking for donations to the bail fund, but it goes on to accuse Trump of “misleading” the public by implying Harris personally donated to the fund.
The headline for the report by WCCO reporter Esme Murphy reads, “Despite Trump claim and 2020 tweet showing support, Harris never donated to Minnesota Freedom Fund.”
