Capitol insurrection: Trump campaign reportedly made payments to people not previously on the payroll

Many companies and corporations have come under heavy scrutiny to this day for their ties to lawmakers who have voted to object to the results of the 2020 election and their involvement in the January 6 insurrection. A new report is another hint of the extent to which the now-former president was involved in planning the rally that preceded the insurrection.

The Daily Beast reports that the twice-impeached former president used a company called Event Strategies to help set up his “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6. The company is known for being a go-to firm for Republicans even with its involvement in the Capitol insurrection. Political groups affiliated with the former president have been found to pay over $3.4 million to individuals and companies involved in planning the rally, with $2.8 to Event Strategies.

Since the Capitol insurrection, the former president’s fundraising groups have paid Event Strategies around $800,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. This also includes a $31,358 payment to the company made by the Make America Great Again Action super PAC on August 13.

The National Republican Congressional Committee also reported paying around $3,375 for “facility rental” of the firm and $6,000 for “audio/visual staging” in late June. GOP Rep. Mo Brooks paid $200,000 and $7,038 to the firm in late August.

The Trump Campaign also made travel reimbursements to almost 60 people, including those who did not previously appear on the Trump campaign payroll the day after the Capitol insurrection.

Following a damning report by the Washington Post revealing that the former president refused to take control of his supporters who stormed into the Capitol targeting top Democrats and his own vice president, CNN’s national security analyst Juliette Kayyem ripped into the one-term president. Kayyem said that with the new report in mind, the insurrection was a lot more coordinated than it was previously thought to be.

“The reporting shows the extent to which Donald Trump is not a bumbling fool,” said Kayyem. “He’s not an idiot. He is so diabolical throughout the day of January 6th.”

Kayyem also pointed out that even after the insurrection, the former president still pushed for his allies to vote to overturn the 2020 elections.