A Wall Road Journal investigation has discovered a lot of key allies of former President Donald Trump — together with far-right media character Alex Jones and Julie Jenkins Fancelli, inheritor to the Publix grocery store fortune — helped to fund the rally that preceded the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 that left 5 useless.
In keeping with reporters Shalini Ramachandran, Alexandra Berzon, and Rebecca Ballhaus, Jones pledged $50,000 of his personal cash to the occasion, and arranged extra funds, together with a $300,000 contribution from Jenkins Fancelli, who’s a significant GOP donor.
All advised, the rally value about $500,000, in keeping with the report. That occasion, throughout which Trump pledged to by no means concede the November election to President Joe Biden — and whipped up supporters who later took over the Capitol — fashioned the idea of Trump’s second impeachment within the Home of Representatives. Partially on account of feedback he made at that rally, Trump has been charged with “incitement of revolt,” and can quickly face a trial within the Senate.
The Journal additionally stories that, in keeping with Federal Election Fee information, “a minimum of 5 former Trump marketing campaign staffers” had been concerned within the logistics of the occasion. The rally was notably profitable for Trump fundraising official Caroline Wren, who was paid $730,000 all through the 2020 election cycle for her and her agency to work on fundraising for the Trump reelection marketing campaign staff, in keeping with the Journal.
Jones, a prolific conspiracy theorist who has helped to advertise many discredited claims, resembling the concept the Sandy Hook bloodbath was a hoax, dedicated his funds in alternate for a talking slot on the rally. He ended up talking the evening earlier than, at a distinct rally, however promoted the January 6 occasion. Each rallies had been demonstrations for the continued “Cease the Steal” motion, which falsely claims that the presidential election was stolen from Trump.
Jenkins Fancelli’s donation was not linked to any talking time, and was managed by Wren, who Jenkins Fancelli reportedly chosen to coordinate the rally. Past her contribution to the January 6 occasion, Jenkins Fancelli donated practically 1,000,000 {dollars} to the Trump marketing campaign and the Republican Occasion in the course of the 2020 election cycle.
Hosted by a bunch calling itself “Ladies for America First,” the rally came about simply south of the White Home in an space often called the Ellipse, whereas congressional lawmakers had been gathered on the Capitol to certify the outcomes of that election. In his remarks, Trump blasted Republicans whom he deemed insufficiently loyal, together with his personal vice chairman, Mike Pence. He closed by encouraging the group to stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue to problem these lawmakers immediately.
By that afternoon, a whole bunch of individuals had breached the constructing, many waving pro-Trump flags, in addition to different far-right emblems, such because the Accomplice flag. 5 folks died in the course of the chaos, together with one police officer; two different cops who had been current that day have since died by suicide, and a minimum of 140 officers had been injured, some significantly.
Jones has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection, nor has Jenkins Fancelli.
Efforts to overturn the election had been profitable in activating Trump donors
The big sum of cash raised for the January 6 rally is indicative of the fundraising push that surrounded the ultimate months of Trump’s presidency — total, the previous president’s opposition to the election outcomes proved a profitable fundraising alternative.
Certainly, Trump donors had been motivated to contribute some $86 million to the Republican Nationwide Committee and to organizations immediately tied to Trump between November 24 and December 31, 2020, in keeping with a disclosure Friday with the Federal Elections Fee.
Bloomberg first reported that, in keeping with WinRed, the net fundraising arm of the Republican Occasion, a complete of $207 million was raised for Republican candidates and committees within the 19 days following the November Three election. A portion of that went to aggressive runoff elections for Georgia Senate seats, each of which the GOP misplaced.
However about $68 million raised went to Trump Make America Nice Once more, a joint fundraising committee that splits its consumption between Save America, Trump’s political motion committee, and the RNC, in keeping with Bloomberg. As Politico has famous, Trump has a substantial amount of authorized flexibility with how Save America’s cash may be spent — from operating adverts in coming elections to paying allies and relations for work.
Whereas it stays to be seen precisely how Save America’s cash will likely be used, Trump is at the moment dealing with questions over his reelection marketing campaign’s ties to the January 6 rally. In keeping with the Heart for Responsive Politics, Trump’s 2020 reelection marketing campaign paid greater than $2.7 million to organizations and people with ties to the January 6 occasion. A considerable quantity of these donations had been “darkish cash,” which makes it “troublesome to know who the marketing campaign paid and when,” reporter Anna Massoglia wrote.
The Heart for Responsive Politics additionally discovered that eight folks had been employed as both staffers or contractors to arrange the rally, utilizing marketing campaign funds. The marketing campaign, nonetheless, has mentioned that it didn’t pay for the rally and that these folks weren’t employed by the marketing campaign on the day of the rally and its violent consequence.