Harris solicited funds for a nonprofit that bailed out suspects in violent crimes

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris solicited donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund to help pay bail for individuals arrested during police brutality protests or charged with violent crimes. One man freed by the group's bail was charged last week in connection with a brutal assault that occurred after he was released.

"If you're able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota," Sen. Harris tweeted on June 1.

Biden campaign staffers also donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund after the protests and rioting triggered by the May 25 death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police. 

The fund has reportedly raised over $35 million with the help of donations from celebrities, including Steve Carell, Cynthia Nixon, Seth Rogen and Don Cheadle. In recent years, the fund raised about $100,000 in donations, according to tax filings.

According to Fox 9 in Minnesota, the MFF paid $75,000 to bail out Jaleel Stallings, charged with attempted murder. Stallings "shot at members of a SWAT Team during the riots in May," and police "recovered a modified pistol that looks like an AK-47."

According to the same report, the fund paid $100,000 to release Darnika Floyd, who was "charged with second degree murder for stabbing a friend to death."

Christopher Boswell, convicted of rape twice, was being held on charges of "kidnapping, assault, and sexual assault in two separate cases," reported Fox 9's Tom Lyden, but the fund paid $350,000 to bail him out of jail.

The fund also paid $10,000 bail for Lionel Timms, who was charged for an alleged July 11 attack in Bloomington, Minn. on a bus passenger who had rebuffed Timms's request for money. 

After being bailed out, Timms was later arrested on a new third-degree assault charge for an alleged beating in an alley on Aug. 14 that left the victim with "traumatic brain injury, a fractured skull and a brain bleed," according to WCCO-TV in Minneapolis.

The fund issued a statement specifically about the Timms case and signaled that it might change its internal procedures.

"The criminal justice system failed, and we didn't do enough to mitigate that damage by ensuring that Mr. Timms had the support he needed to safely come back to the community," read the statement.

"It's clear that we need to take steps to strengthen our internal procedures for supporting those we bail out, renew our commitment to listen to the communities directly impacted by our efforts, and look for concrete ways of improving our internal procedures," the statement also read.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Biden for not condemning the extremist violence, rioting, and looting associated with the urban unrest that has roiled the nation this summer. On Monday, Biden spoke out against the protest violence after a shooting took place in Portland.

According to a recent poll, President Trump and Joe Biden are in a virtual tie in Minnesota, where another round of looting erupted in Minneapolis on Aug. 26, sparked by false rumors that a fleeing murder suspect who committed suicide had been shot by police.

The Biden campaign was not available for comment before publication.