Andrew Kerr, an investigative reporter for the far-right Washington Free Beacon, made an eyebrow-raising claim about Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday, following her endorsement by President Joe Biden to take over as the Democratic presidential nominee.
But an attorney quickly set him straight on the basic facts.
"NEW: Kamala Harris continues to use her likeness to fundraise for a bail fund that busts convicted rapists and murderers out of jail. Harris’s 2020 fundraising link for the bail fund, which prominently features her headshot, continues to accept $" wrote Kerr on X, showing a screenshot of her page raising money for the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
That's not how it works, national security lawyer Bradley Moss pointed out.
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"For the record, because Andrew relies on his audience having no understanding of the process, you cannot bail out of jail someone sentenced to prison," wrote Moss. "To the extent someone charged with a new crime has *previously* been convicted of a crime, that will be a relevant factor the judge will consider when deciding whether to even set a bond (or just holding the person until trial). If the judge sets a bond, that was the judge’s decision. No one can post a bond for someone held until trial. There literally is no bond to post."
The bail fund in question was a key player in helping protesters who were detained during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis in 2020, which shook the nation and led to debate and controversy over police reform.
Since then, bail funds have received backlash from the right, as well as state and municipal laws eliminating cash bail altogether over a perception that suspects are committing additional crimes while awaiting trial — although research has made clear bail reform hasn't actually increased crime and was effective at reducing mass incarceration and all its attendant problems and costs.
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