The heiress of Publix Supermarket chain contributed the “lion’s share” of the money to finance the January 6 pro-Trump rally in Washington DC that preceded the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
Julie Jenkins Fancelli, a major donor to former President Donald Trump, donated about $ 300,000 to the “Save America” rally – more than half the cost of financing the event, the Journal said.
Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist and far-right talk show host, arranged for Fancelli to contribute the money through an official of the Trump 2020 presidential campaign, the newspaper said. Jones himself contributed about $ 50,000 in starting capital to the January 6 rally, the Journal said.
At the event, Trump repeated baseless allegations that he had been defeated in the presidential election due to fraud, and told his supporters to “fight like hell”.
The group then descended on the United States Capitol, overtaking the police and climbing walls in an attempt to thwart President Joe Biden’s certification at the electoral college. Five people died in the siege.
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The “Save America” rally was marked by incendiary rhetoric, but, as the Journal notes, it was peaceful. However, Trump was accused of using the demonstration to boost the attack on the Capitol.
Fancelli, daughter of the founder of Publix Super Markets, donated more than $ 980,000 to a joint account for the Trump and Republican Party reelection campaign, notes the Journal.
Neither Fancelli nor Jones responded to requests for comment from the Wall Street Journal.
In a statement emailed to Insider, a Publix spokesman said: “Ms. Fancelli is not an employee of Publix Super Markets and is not involved in our business operations, nor does she represent the company in any way. We cannot comment on Ms. Fancelli’s Actions. “
“The violence at the Capitol on January 6 was a national tragedy. The deplorable actions that occurred that day do not represent the values, work or opinions of Publix Supermarkets,” the statement said.
The popular southern supermarket chain has more than 1,200 locations, most of which are in Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, the company has become the largest employee-owned company in the United States.