WASHINGTON — In late December of 2020, the heiress to the Publix grocery store chain was eager to volunteer millions of dollars in support of a rally in the nation’s capital on the day that Congress was to certify the results of the presidential election, according to text messages revealed in a transcript from the Jan. 6 Select Committee. But she may not have gotten what she paid for.
Julie Fancelli wanted Roger Stone and Alex Jones, two firebrand supporters of then-President Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 election results, to speak at the planned rally on the White House Ellipse that ultimately preceded the violent march on the U.S. Capitol. She paid for a private plane that transported Stone from Florida to Washington for the event, according to documents revealed in her deposition.
But neither Stone nor Jones addressed the crowd. Instead, according to the committee, nearly $200,000 of Fancelli’s proffered $3 million commitment was provided as commission to Caroline Wren, a former top fundraiser for the Trump campaign, for securing the money. Another $60,000 went to Kimberly Guilfoyle, partner of Donald Trump, Jr., for speaking for three minutes before the rally.
