A bail fund touted by Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris contributed to the release of a man accused of raping an 8-year-old girl.
“Timothy Wayne Columbus, 36, faces up to 30 years in prison for allegedly sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl in 2015, court records show. He was released from a Minneapolis jail in early July on $75,000 bail, according to jail records,” the Daily Caller reported.
After his release, Columbus signed a document saying all refunded bail money should be directed to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, showing that the group aided him in being released.
Minnesota prosecutors provided details of the allegation that Columbus raped the girl.
“Victim stated ‘Tim’ laid her on the couch and held her down as he unbuckled his pants and pulled down her pants. Victim stated he then ‘put his thing inside me,’” a statement on the matter said. “Victim stated ‘Tim’ told her not to tell anyone and continued to penetrate her.”
The Minnesota Freedom Fund was recently endorsed by high-profile celebrities and politicians, such as Harris, for helping bail people arrested in Minnesota during protests and riots out of jail.
“If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota,” Harris tweeted on June 1.
This is not the first time Harris’s support for the fund caused backlash.
In August, Sen. Tom Cotton resurrected Harris’s June tweet, slamming it as a flip-flop on her support of rioters after she condemned their violence when she joined the Biden campaign.
“Kamala Harris helped violent rioters in Minnesota get out of jail to do more damage,” the Arkansas Republican tweeted. “Don’t believe her when she says she ‘condemns the violence’ — look at her record, not her words.”
