Trump's Bedminster golf club to host $1M fundraiser for Jan. 6 defendants
FILE - Former President Donald Trump hits his shot from the first fairway during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club on August 10, 2023 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
A high-profile fundraiser to be held at former President Trump’s New Jersey golf club aims to raise over $1 million with the proceeds going directly to cover the legal fees of Jan. 6 Capitol protesters, FOX Business has learned.
Dubbed the "J6 Awards Gala," the fundraiser is being held independently of Trump’s campaign, but event organizers tell FOX Business that the former president has been invited as a headline speaker. It will be held at his own Bedminster golf club on Sept. 5, and his attendance is pending final confirmation from the Trump presidential campaign. A campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Behind the fundraiser is a pro-Trump political action committee called New Gen 47 and a non-profit organization called Vote Your Vision, a subsidiary of The America Project, which bills itself as an advocate for upholding constitutional rights. Tickets range from $1,500 to $2,500 per person, with VIP tables going for as high as $50,000 a pop, where patrons will gain access to a pre-event reception and photo ops with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, conservative comedian Anthony Raimondi, and Trump himself if he attends.
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Raimondi confirmed to FOX Business that he plans to attend the event. Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In addition to raising money, the shindig is meant to celebrate the success of the song "Justice for All," which features a group of 20 incarcerated Jan. 6 protesters known as the "J6 Prison Choir" singing the Star-Spangled Banner overlaid with soundbites of Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The prisoners recorded their portion of the song from a Washington, D.C., jail cell, while Trump recorded from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. The tune struck a chord with fans of the former president and briefly hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart. Since its release in March, the track has been downloaded over 50,000 times on various platforms, with proceeds going to support some of the indicted protesters and their families.
The profits from the fundraiser, which will include an auction of one of the Billboard plaques commemorating the song’s chart-topping status, will also benefit the protesters.
"As a music executive and one of the producers of ‘Justice for All,’ I understand that in the digital era, music royalties often don't generate the kind of revenue that can make a significant impact on their own," event organizer L.J. Fino tells FOX Business. "This reality inspired me to take action and do more for the injustice that has taken place to Jan. 6 protesters, a matter that I am deeply passionate about."
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The riots that took place on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, when Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, remain a sore spot for Trump, who is currently neck-and-neck in a close battle for the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump, who has staunchly maintained he’s not responsible for the events of Jan. 6, faces possible criminal charges for what prosecutors allege was a deliberate attempt to incite violence when he encouraged his supporters to protest the outcome of the election at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. He’s drawn further criticism in recent months for referring to protesters as "hostages" and for promising to immediately give them full pardons if he wins in November.
According to The Associated Press, over 1,200 people have been charged with federal crimes for their involvement in the riot, including misdemeanor offenses such as trespassing and felonies including assaulting police officers. Event organizers tell FOX Business that proceeds have not been given to individuals who attacked police.
"Our nation was founded on principles enshrined in the Constitution, yet we have strayed far from these ideals, as many January 6th defendants have continued to face excessive punishment, lack of due process, extended pretrial detention, and mistreatment in detention facilities," said Sarah McAbee, an event organizer and co-founder of the Stand in the Gap Foundation, which advocates for a fairer justice system. "All we are asking for is equal justice across the Nation, as guaranteed by the Constitution."
McAbee’s husband, a former police officer, is currently serving a 70-month prison sentence for participating in the Jan. 6 protests.