As his supporters cheer, U.S. President Donald Trump can be seen on a screen during a rally at the National Mall on January 6, 2021 in Washington DC. Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Julie Jenkins Fancelli (heiress to Publix grocery chain chain) donated $150,000 to Rule of Law Defense Fund in support of the January 6th riot.
According to Washington Post documents, Fancelli was the top donor to the rally. He contributed more than $300,000.
Fancelli's $150,000 funding funded a robocall encouraging people go to Washington, DC and to "march towards the Capitol Building."
According to a published report, the daughter of the founder and top donor of the January 6th rally in Washington, which preceded the riot at US Capitol, she donated $150,000 to a Republican attorney general group to fund the pro-Trump demonstration.
With the help of Julie Jenkins Fancelli (the heiress of Publix), the nonprofit Rule of Law Defense Fund funded a robocall promoting a march to Washington to "call Congress to stop the theft." This reference was to debunked claims of voter corruption in the 2020 presidential election according to records from the Washington Post.
The House select committee charged with investigating the Capitol storm is currently focusing on how funding was obtained for January 6. According to the Post, sources close to the committee are also interested in how government officials like attorneys general encouraged people to protest.
According to Documented, who first reported the call, the robocall provided details to listeners on when and how to "march up to the Capitol building to call Congress to stop the theft." The call stated that patriots such as you would be willing to join us in fighting for the integrity of our election systems.
According to records seen by The Post, Fancelli was a major donor to Trump's former president. She gave around $300,000 to Women for America First. This group is known as "Stop the Steal". Records show that she was the main contributor to the event. Fancelli contributed more than half of the money needed to the rally. It was an attempt to make false claims about voter fraud that led to Trump's defeat in the election.
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According to a source familiar with the matter, the committee has subpoenaed Caroline Wren, Women for America First's leader, to question her. Caroline Wren was a Republican fundraiser, listed on the permit of the group as a "VIP ADVISOR", and she helped Fancelli to manage her donation to that organization.
Insider asked Publix for comment on Fancelli’s donations, but they did not respond immediately.
A spokesperson for Publix stated that Fancelli was not employed by Publix Super Markets and was not involved in the business operations of the company. She also did not represent the company in any way. We are unable to comment on the actions of Mrs. Fancelli."
George Jenkins founded Publix in 1930. Publix has nearly 1,300 locations across the US, and is the largest national grocery chain. According to Forbes 2020's list of America's wealthiest families, the Jenkins family is worth more than $8.8 billion. According to ProPublica's 2019 tax filing, Fancelli is not involved with Publix's operations. However, she is president of the non-profit foundation named after her father.
Fancelli stated that she is a conservative and has real concerns about election integrity. However, she said that she would not support violence, especially the horrific and tragic events of January 6th.
Fancelli's lawyer stated to the Post that she was not present at the riot at US Capitol.
Business Insider has the original article.
