‘I Hope He Sues’: Donald Trump’s Campaign Attempt to Smear Kamala Harris Derails After Falsing Accusing Black Veteran of Being ‘Would-Be Cop Killer’
Donald Trump’s campaign is hard at work trying to discredit presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris as the nation inches closer to the presidential election.
In a recent attack drawing a lot of attention online, the campaign mentioned her support of a bail fund for Army veteran Jaleel Stallings, who was charged with the attempted murder of two cops four years ago.
Stallings, a Minnesota man, was charged with rioting, attempted murder, and deadly force against police officers in 2020 when protests erupted in Minneapolis days after George Floyd’s death.
Trump’s campaign has made several bogus attacks against Stallings over the years on social media, calling him a “would-be cop killer” and playing up the charges he faced without providing essential context.
What the campaign has repeatedly failed to mention to its supporters is that a jury acquitted Stallings on all charges and that one of the cops involved in his violent arrest pleaded guilty to assaulting him.
That arrest happened on May 30, 2020, after Minneapolis police officers encountered Stallings while they were patrolling the streets in an unmarked van when the city was under curfew. The officers fired rubber bullets at Stallings and three other men in his company. Stallings, a concealed carry permit holder, fired real bullets back, none of which hit any of the officers.
After realizing the men he shot at were police, he immediately tossed his firearm and got down on the ground with his hands in the air. Even though he surrendered, the cops rushed out of the van and proceeded to beat him brutally.
Stallings sustained multiple injuries, including several cuts and bruises on his face and a fractured eye socket.
After he was arrested, the Minnesota Freedom Fund raised $75,000 to bail Stallings out of jail, an effort Harris promoted on social media. The Trump campaign mentioned Harris’ support of the fund twice this week on X, formerly Twitter, to try to blacken the reputation of the former California attorney general.
“Kamala Harris helped raise money for a far-left organization that bailed a rioter who shot at police out of jail,” the campaign wrote on X on Monday.
After Stallings was charged, it was later revealed that police falsified their reports about the arrest, stating that Stallings was the one who fired first. Police also failed to include that they never identified themselves when they confronted Stallings.
Body camera and surveillance footage also contradicted police reports. Those videos confirmed that the first shots were fired from the unmarked van, Stallings returned fire, and officers rushed toward Stallings while he was on the ground before beating him.
That evidence ultimately led to Stallings’ acquittal and the ruling that he acted in self-defense and turned prosecutors’ attention to the cops who arrested him.
Officer Justin Stetson, who was seen on video repeatedly punching and kicking Stallings, pleaded guilty to assault last May. He was sentenced to only 15 days in jail and two years probation, which Stallings called a “slap on the wrist.” He apologized to Stallings in court for his “lack of control and poor judgment.”
The city of Minneapolis later paid Stallings $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that police violated his civil rights.
The post falsely smearing Harris and Stallings received backlash on X, while the platform added a community note.
“You are truly scum. He was exonerated. You slime have nothing,” Army combat veteran and podcast host Fred Wellman replied to the Trump War Room’s post. “He was acquitted. I hope he sues.”