Pro-Trump group that helped organize Jan. 6 rally is raising money for its legal defense as it faces House probe

Representatives for Women for America First and Give Send Go did not return requests for comment.

Women for America First is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit group that is not required to publicly disclose its donors. Yet the crowdfunding campaign lists several donors’ names, including those that have ties to Trump, his reelection campaign or members of his administration. 

Michael Caputo, who has been close to Trump for years and worked for a time as a spokesman for the Trump-era Department of Health and Human Services, contributed $50 to the fund. Caputo confirmed to CNBC he was the donor.

“I’ve known Amy Kremer since her days co-founding the Tea Party movement and I know her to be a good and decent person, which makes her a prime target for the worms burrowed deep into the wood of our broken Congress and Department of Justice,” Caputo said in a text message to CNBC on Tuesday.

There a donation of up to $1,000 credited to a person named Doug Fabick. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke to employees of Fabick Cat in 2017, which is run by CEO Doug Fabick, who is a member of the wealthy Fabick family. The CEO was also at the Pence-led event. Fabick previously contributed to Trump’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee, according to data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Pence confirmed Joe Biden’s victory over Trump after the Capitol riot and a pressure campaign from the former president.

Fabick did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment when asked to verify if he was, in fact, the contributor.

A person named Jim Hoft donated $100, according to the site. His name matches that of the founder of the Gateway Pundit, a conservative website that features a pro-Trump news section.

Hoft has launched a project called “American Gulag,” which is described as a way “to provide sunshine and publicity to the scores of political prisoners wrongfully imprisoned as a result of the protest on January 6th.” Hoft is also raising money to help those who have been arrested following the Capitol riot. He is also using the Give Send Go crowdfunding platform.

“We are raising money for the families of the Jan. 6 political prisoners,” the Hoft donation page reads. “Any amount raised over and above the amount needed for our investigations will be applied to legal fees and other expenses incurred.” So far, the Hoft-backed fundraising effort has brought in just over $28,000 with the goal of raising $50,000.

Hoft did not respond to a request for comment through his official Gateway Pundit contact page.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/26/pro-trump-group-crowdfunds-legal-defense-as-it-faces-jan-6-probe.html