Julie Fancelli, a daughter of the founder of the Publix grocery store chain, reportedly gave groups under the direction of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as much as $3 million to finance protests on Jan. 6, 2021, The Washington Post reports.
Some of the funds from Julie Fancelli, 73, went to a PAC devoted to the runoff elections in Georgia at the time, according to a transcript of Fancelli's interview before the House committee investigating the Capitol riot.
Fancelli was the largest publicly known donor to the "Stop the Steal" rally, which took place on Jan. 6 just before the riot. But according to evidence uncovered by the committee, her role may have been greater than previously thought.
"After initially directing $1 million to Kirk’s groups — $250,000 to Turning Point USA and $750,000 to its political arm, Turning Point Action — Fancelli urgently instructed her assistant on Jan. 4, 2021, to send him more money," The Post's report stated.
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Kirk himself avoided the rally on Jan. 6. According to the committee, when the pro-Trump mob started to descend on the Capitol, Fancelli asked if the people who stormed the Capitol chamber were "antifa."
When The Post reported on Fancelli's involvement with Jan 6 last year, Publix released a statement saying it “cannot control the actions of individual stockholders," but added, “We are deeply troubled by Ms. Fancelli’s involvement in the events that led to the tragic attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6."
Read the full report at The Washington Post.