Alex Jones is something like the original contemporary conspiracy theorist — the wacko who launched a thousand deranged ships. So it was not surprising to see him in D.C. on January 6, involved in the violent mob that, whipped up by the president and fueled by baseless claims of voter fraud, stormed the Capitol, leading to five deaths. Jones even boasted about doing some of that whipping up. But a new report says he was an even bigger player than previously thought.
This comes from The Wall Street Journal, who pieced together the top players that funded the aborted attempt to overturn election results and keep now-former president Donald Trump in power. For one thing, Jones pledged a good sum of money — $50,000 — in exchange for, as WSJ reports, a “top speaking slot of his choice.” More importantly, he played Cupid between a top Trump donor and other organizers:
Mr. Jones also helped arrange for Julie Jenkins Fancelli, a prominent donor to the Trump campaign and heiress to the Publix Super Markets Inc. chain, to commit about $300,000 through a top fundraising official for former President Trump’s 2020 campaign, according to organizers. Her money paid for the lion’s share of the roughly $500,000 rally at the Ellipse where Mr. Trump spoke.
And then there were said other organizers:
Another far-right activist and leader of the “Stop the Steal” movement, Ali Alexander, helped coordinate planning with Caroline Wren, a fundraising official who was paid by the Trump campaign for much of 2020 and who was tapped by Ms. Fancelli to organize and fund an event on her behalf, organizers said. On social media, Mr. Alexander had targeted Jan. 6 as a key date for supporters to gather in Washington to contest the 2020-election certification results. The week of the rally, he tweeted a flyer for the event saying: “DC becomes FORT TRUMP starting tomorrow on my orders!”
And so, a small group of Trumpists, Jones among them, inspired one of the most disturbing days in America history. But at least they failed at their loftier goals.
(Via WSJ)