In response to Donald Trump fundraising this weekend with some of the RNC’s top election-denying donors, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

“Donald Trump is putting election denialism and political violence front and center in his campaign, so it’s no surprise that he’s turning to some of the RNC’s most well-heeled election deniers to fund his desperate operation. Trump has promised a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses, vowed to pardon violent insurrectionists, and continues to spew baseless lies about his crushing defeat by over 7 million votes in the 2020 election. His horrifying anti-democracy agenda may be popular with the ultra-rich (and out-of-touch) election deniers bankrolling his campaign, but  will make him a loser with voters once again come November.”

RNC megadonor Richard Uihlein contributed millions of dollars to groups that worked to overturn the 2020 election and were involved in January 6 planning.

Daily Beast: “Uihlein’s nonprofit—the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation—poured millions of dollars in 2020 into a sprawling number of groups connected to efforts to challenge Joe Biden’s victory and reimagine election law, as well as other right-wing extremist organizations, including ones designated as hate groups.”

“According to the foundation’s latest tax filing, the supply chain mogul contributed more than $4 million to groups affiliated with efforts to overturn the election and other acts of far-right extremism.”

“Uihlien—whose net worth Bloomberg pegs at about $4 billion—also funded right-wing media outlets that pushed false narratives about the 2020 election. For instance, he donated $750,000 to the FDRLST, which pushed misleading claims of voter fraud. He also slipped $25,000 to the American Conservative, which published a number of articles claiming that Democrats had stolen the election, including a debunked article the evening of Jan. 6 alleging widespread fraud.

“Some Uihlein money made it to groups directly involved with events on Jan. 6. For example, he boosted Turning Point USA, the far-right youth organization helmed by social media personality Charlie Kirk. After Trump’s defeat, TPUSA pushed the Big Lie and backed the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement, and later helped organize Jan. 6 rally events, including providing transportation for attendees from across the country. Uihlein contributed $30,000 to the group. Uihlein also provided a pillar of financial support for the Tea Party Patriots, a far-right activist group which helped organize rally events on Jan. 6.”

Pete Ricketts supported a lawsuit to overturn the 2020 election results and criticized the January 6 hearings.

Journal Star: “Although Gov. Pete Ricketts scheduled his Friday news briefing to provide updates on the coronavirus, it veered off into questions about his support for a Texas lawsuit that aimed to overturn the results of the presidential election. His support for the lawsuit, which the Supreme Court rejected later Friday, was based on ‘support for following the rule of law,’ Ricketts said. And that means changes in election laws must be made through the legislative branch of government, he said.”

Nebraska Examiner: “Gov. Pete Ricketts on Wednesday called the congressional hearings into the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol a ‘partisan rehash of mostly old information.’ … Ricketts, who said last week he wasn’t paying much attention to the hearings, on Wednesday said that people need to keep the testimony ‘in perspective.’”

Julie Jenkins Fancelli was the primary funder of the January 6 rally and was willing to spend $3 million on efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Wall Street Journal: “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 Donald 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.”

Washington Post: “The Washington Post previously reported that the Publix heiress was the largest publicly known donor to the rally — and had wired $650,000 to numerous groups behind the ‘Stop the Steal’ organizing. But the interview transcript, which cites wire transfers as well as text messages and other communications involving Fancelli, shows her role was greater than previously known. When a Trump aide learned that Fancelli had offered a budget of $3 million, he wrote in a text message, ‘rich people are so odd.’

“In all, Fancelli, 73, was willing to shell out as much as $3 million to people and groups protesting congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory, according to a transcript of her interview before the House panel probing the siege on the Capitol.”

Robert and Rebekah Mercer have given millions of dollars to numerous organizations that peddled 2020 election lies and a PAC that promoted the January 6 march on the Capitol. 

The Intercept: “Rebekah Mercer is a principal investor in the Parler social media network and has an equity stake in Breitbart News, which has propagated false information about the election being stolen. … In 2017, the Mercers gave $200,000 to the Gatestone Institute, which has advanced theories about a stolen election. The following year, they gave $8.1 million to DonorsTrust, which recently donated $1.5 million to white nationalist hate group VDARE, which has also advanced evidence-free theories surrounding the 2020 election results. In 2017, the Mercer Family Foundation donated $1.725 million to the Government Accountability Institute, whose research director, Eric Eggers, appeared on Sean Hannity’s radio show at the end of November, suggesting that fraudulent activity had tilted the election to Joe Biden. In 2018, they followed up with an additional $500,000. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., who has also used violent rhetoric around the election, has received $21,600 in campaign contributions from the Mercer family.”

CNBC: “A mysterious political action committee once funded by conservative millionaire Robert Mercer promoted both the rally featuring President Donald Trump and the ensuing march on Capitol Hill that led to a deadly riot last week.

“Through social media posts, the committee pushed tens of thousands of its followers to attend the rally in front of the White House on Wednesday and then to participate in the march on Capitol Hill that led to a riot, leaving at least five people dead, including a police officer. … The Black Conservatives Fund’s biggest previous donation came from Mercer in 2014. He gave more than $150,000 to the committee at the time.”

Kelly Loeffler pledged to object to the certification of the 2020 election results and refused to acknowledge that President Biden won the race while spewing unfounded claims of voter fraud.

New York Times: “A day before facing voters in a runoff Senate election, Senator Kelly Loeffler of Georgia announced plans to vote against the Electoral College certification process.”

Loeffler: “I will… support the objection to the Electoral College certification process.”

CBS News: “Kelly Loeffler repeats Trump didn’t lose 2020 election during Georgia Senate debate against Raphael Warnock”

“Senator Kelly Loeffler repeatedly refused to acknowledge that President Trump lost re-election in November. … Asked specifically about President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia and whether she agreed with Mr. Trump’s unfounded accusations of widespread voter fraud, Loeffler sidestepped the matter. ‘The president has every right to every legal recourse, and that’s what’s taking place,’ Loeffler said.  The senator later alleged, without any supporting details, irregularities in the November elections and repeated Mr. Trump’s right to ‘legal recourse’ without acknowledging that the president’s campaign has lost round after round of post-election court challenges, including in Georgia, which has already certified its results.”

John Paulson downplayed the January 6 riot and denied that it was an insurrection.

Paulson: “I don’t think January 6th was an insurrection nor an attempt to overthrow the government.”

Trump is still pushing baseless lies about his loss by over 7 million votes in the 2020 election.

Associated Press: “[Trump] is flooding the airwaves and his social media platform with distortions, misinformation and unfounded conspiracy theories about his defeat.”

NBC News: “Re-litigating the 2020 election, repeating false claims it was stolen and casting aspersions on the security of mail voting remain major fixtures for [Trump] on the stump. … He regularly refers to the 2020 election as ‘rigged’ on his social media channels.”

Associated Press: “Trump, running for the White House for the third time, has signaled that the 2020 election will remain an integral part of his 2024 presidential bid.”

Trump continues to praise and promise pardons for violent January 6 rioters – who he calls “hostages” and “patriots.” 

Time: “Trump has sought to recast the insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. ‘I call them the J-6 patriots,’ Trump tells TIME. When asked whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says: ‘Yes, absolutely.’”

​​Washington Post: ​​“Former president Donald Trump on Thursday praised and embraced a woman convicted of defying police orders on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. … Trump has steadily escalated his advocacy for people charged in the Capitol riot, including by pledging to pardon them if he returns to the White House, praising them as patriots, participating in a recording with Jan. 6 prisoners singing the national anthem, and playing it at his first rally of the 2024 campaign last month.”

The Hill: “Trump describes imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters as ‘hostages’”

Washington Post: “Trump vows pardons, government apology to Capitol rioters if elected”

NBC News: “Former President Donald Trump promised Wednesday night that if he is elected he will pardon a ‘large portion’ of the people convicted of federal offenses for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.”

Trump: “January 6, it was the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. And they were there proud, they were there with love in their heart. That was an unbelievable — and it was a beautiful day.”

Business Insider: “Then-President Donald Trump didn’t want to specifically call for the Justice Department to prosecute January 6 rioters or forcefully condemn those who stormed the Capitol as unrepresentative of the MAGA movement.”

NBC News: “Trump spoke at a fundraiser for Jan. 6 defendants”

Trump is ramping up his extreme and dangerous rhetoric – he has already threatened political violence and promised a “bloodbath” if he loses this election while vowing to be a “dictator on day one” if he wins.

Time: “Donald Trump Says Political Violence ‘Depends’ on ‘Fairness’ of 2024 Election”

Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN: “Many people have lost American presidential elections over the last 230 years – Trump is the only one to say about violence if he loses ‘it depends.’”

NBC News: “Trump says there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses the election”

Rolling Stone: “Trump Says There Will Be a ‘Bloodbath’ and Elections Will End if He Isn’t Reelected”

New York Times: “Trump Defends His Warning of a ‘Blood Bath for the Country’”

The Atlantic: “Trump Says He’ll Be a Dictator on ‘Day One’”

Associated Press: “Trump declines to rule out abusing power to seek retribution if he returns to the White House”

Washington Post: “Trump calls political enemies ‘vermin,’ echoing dictators Hitler, Mussolini”

The Guardian: “Donald Trump says he will lock up his political enemies if he is president again.”

Forbes: “Trump said of his relationships with dictators, ‘the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them,’ which he insisted is ‘not a bad thing.’ 

“‘The easy ones,’ Trump said, referring to America’s allies, ‘I maybe don’t like as much or don’t get along with as much.’”