Police officers, through their police union, make contributions to the MPPOA and an additional amount to the Legal Defense Fund, which provides officers with a defense attorney if they become the target of a criminal investigation, if a defendant is involved in a civil trial, state discipline, or critical incident. Potter`s defense is paid for by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association`s Legal Defense Fund. The MPPOA also covered the defense costs of former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin, who was convicted of the murder of George Floyd, and will also cover the defense costs of his three former police colleagues. MICHAELS: So these associations have legal defense funds, which are basically big pots of money that pay the legal fees of an officer in a criminal case. And officers help build these legal means through their police unions. So you pay a monthly or annual fee that accumulates the funds. And if they beat or kill someone or are charged with another crime, they can call the association and get in touch with a lawyer who will work with them throughout the trial. The same article about Trump paying Chauvin`s legal fees was also shared on Facebook two days after Chauvin`s conviction. Although he is no longer part of the police, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) still has to cover his calls, as the crimes he is accused of took place while he was still an active officer. In the court order, the judge ruled that Chauvin`s claim for attorneys` fees “is just and reasonable for the work performed on the appeal, and that the State of Minnesota, as a law enforcement agency, is responsible for the defendant`s attorneys` fees incurred in connection with this appeal. Although it was initially reported by some media outlets that Chauvin`s defense had been taken over by the Minneapolis Police Union, it is actually the Minneapolis Police Association that is footing the heavy bill.
As part of their contract upon signing within the state, all police officers are supported by a nationwide common legal defense fund if they encounter legal problems. A national police defense fund, which paid for the high cost of defending Derek Chauvin, is also funding the defense of Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter. Donald Trump followed the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer accused of the death of George Floyd. Trump knows he is innocent and he has taken action. It was a secret, but it`s open now. Donald Trump is funding Chauvin`s right-wing defense. Every penny. Trump called the accusations against Chauvin a witch hunt, much like the Russian witch hunt he himself faced by liberal Democrats. He seems to be a lot of himself in Derek Chauvin.
As we first reported, the disgraced former Minneapolis police officer demanded $14,000 from prosecutors to pay Nelson. In court, Chauvin argued that Minnesota law allows him to seek reimbursement of his legal fees from the prosecutor`s office if they were related to a particular type of appeal. Because Chauvin paid union dues during his 19 years in power, some argue that he is entitled to the robust defense that the Legal Defense Fund provides. But critics, including Somil Trivedi, lead counsel for the ACLU`s criminal law reform project, have questioned the union`s credibility by contributing to the discussion of police reform while spending money on Chauvin`s defense. The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association is paying Derek Chauvin`s legal fees. NPR`s Ari Shapiro talks to Mother Jones` Samantha Michaels about how agents use these legal defenses. On April 17, 2021, America`s Last Line of Defense published a new article. The article claimed that former U.S. President Donald Trump paid the legal fees of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Three days later, Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter for the murder of George Floyd. Besides, who exactly pays the high legal bill for Chauvin`s defense, and what kind of interest do they have in his eventual acquittal? Here is a breakdown of all the known details. The claim that Trump is paying Chauvin`s legal fees comes from an April 17 article by americaslastlineofdefense.com — a satirical website — titled “Trump Recovers Agent Chauvin`s Legal Fees.” But outside the courtroom, Nelson, a private attorney at the law firm Halberg Criminal Defense, is also backed by a dozen legal teams provided by a $1 million legal defense fund from the Minneapolis Police and Peace Officers Association, USA Today reported. The association did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News. Asked if high-profile cases were a burden on the legal defense fund, the spokesperson said: “I can`t talk to an exodus, but it`s obviously expensive.” Shortly after the prosecution and defense dropped their charges in Derek Chauvin`s murder trial over the death of George Floyd, an article circulated claiming that former President Donald Trump had paid Chauvin`s legal fees. Derek Chauvin, the former Minnesota police officer convicted of killing George Floyd last May, will have to raise the money for his own lawyer. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Chauvin was not eligible for public defense. This is the second time in two months that the court has rejected his request because he does not have the money to pay for a lawyer alone. Last month, when Chauvin appealed in the murder trial convicting him of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, court documents showed he had also applied for poor status, which would allow him to retain the services of a public defender and possibly waive the legal costs associated with his case. In appeal documents released at the time, Chauvin insisted he already had a $142,000 debt.
“I have no sufficient source of income, other than the nominal prison salaries used to pay the costs of the above case,” Chauvin wrote at the time. “My only assets are two retirement accounts. If I take money from these accounts, I will be severely penalized and the rest will probably be used to pay off debts. According to his file, Chauvin owes $60,000 to the Internal Revenue Service and $37,000 to the state. But the state Supreme Court ruled that this does not prove that Chauvin is unable to cover the costs of his own attorney. During his trial, Chauvin`s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, was covered by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.