Jan. 6 Rally Organizers Allegedly Received More Than $300,000 From Trump Campaign, Raising Questions of Former President's Involvement in Riot

House Select Committee Investigating January 6 Attack On US Capitol Holds First Hearing

(Photo : Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 27: (L-R) Reps. Elaine Luria (D-VA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) speak to the press after the House Select Committee hearing investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on July 27, 2021 at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC. Members of law enforcement testified about the attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump on the U.S. Capitol. According to authorities, about 140 police officers were injured when they were trampled, had objects thrown at them, and sprayed with chemical irritants during the insurrection.

Former President Donald Trump's team reportedly paid more than $4.3 million to the people who organized the controversial "Save America" rally held on Jan. 6, prior to the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Last week, lawmakers for the U.S. House Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection sent a letter to 15 social media companies, as well as the National Archives and Records Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice requesting for more information related to the riot.

Trump's Alleged Involvement in Capitol Hill Riot

In the letter, lawmakers named several individuals affiliated with Republicans who were involved in the Capitol riot, including Caroline Wren, Megan Powers, Gina Loudon, Amy Kremer and Dustin Stockton, according to Open Secrets.

According to the request, Wren received at least $170,000 as the former president's national finance consultant. On the permit granted by the National Park Service for Trump's Save America campaign, she was listed as "VIP Advisor."

Powers received $300,000 as the former president's director of operations. She was one of the two campaign operations managers listed on the rally permit. She also received an additional $20,000 for "recount administration consulting" from Make America Great Again PAC in 2021.

The House committee also requested records related to Loudon, a co-chair of the Women for Trump initiative and a speaker at the rally.

The committee also asked records on Kremer, who co-founded nonprofit pro-Trump group Women for American First, Stockton, who was a co-organizer of the rally and a spokesman for the WeBuiltTheWall nonprofit.

Stockton and Kremer had previously told ProPublica that they felt the need to warn the White House of the possible threats posed by Trump's Save America campaign. Both organizers had warned Katrina Pierson, Trump's former campaign spokesperson.

Stockton later claimed she and Kramer called former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to voice their concerns, but the later has denied she spoke with White House officials.

Supporting the Rally

Stockton also previously served as the spokesperson for former White House strategist Steve Bannon and three others who were charged with fraud for using money gained from an online funding effort to cover their personal expenses, according to Newsweek.

In the letter, the House committee said they believe the five individuals played a key role in the "Save America" campaign, which occurred hours before the attack in the U.S. Capitol that led to the death of five people, including a Capitol police officer.

So far, the federal government has charged more than 570 Americans in connection to the attack on the Capitol. The charges include obstructing an official proceeding and engaging in disorderly conduct in a restricted building.

If the House committee finds that any of the members in Trump's inner circle purposely wanted the rioters to disrupt the counting of Electoral College votes, they could also be charged with engaging in disorderly conduct in a restricted building.

Several anecdotal evidence point to it being the case, such as the name of the rally, which was "Stop the Steal," and the time the rally was held, which was around the time the Congress as meeting, according to NBC News.