Republican Senator Lindsey Graham avoided answering a question about whether Donald Trump should attend a January 6 awards gala at his Bedminster golf course in September. The event, hosted by the Stand in the Gap Foundation, lists Mr. Trump as a guest speaker, but Graham refused to condemn or support his attendance.
During an interview with Jake Tapper, the South Carolina Senator changed the subject when asked his view on Trump’s attendance, stating instead that he was present during the disorder on January 6 and he believes that those who committed violence on the day rightly went to jail. He then pivoted toward Kamala Harris and her support of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted nationwide following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
The awards gala organizers state that the event will raise funds for the legal defense of those imprisoned after the riots. It also states that it will “honor and celebrate” the January 6 demonstrators who “have shown incredible courage and sacrifice.”
The Trump campaign has responded to criticisms by insisting the former President will not be present. Nevertheless, the organizers told the media he had “expressed interest” in being there.
Regardless of whether the former President attends, the fact that the event will be held on his property has sparked outrage among Democrats and some of those who were on Capitol Hill on the day. Former US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said it was outrageous that people planned to come together to celebrate protestors who chanted that former Vice President Mike Pence and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be “hanged.”
Tickets to the September 5 New Jersey event cost between $1,500 and $50,000, and the funds will “provide much-needed assistance to the January 6 defendants who continue to face significant challenges.”
The Stand in the Gap Foundation was established after January 6, and it believes that defendants connected to the demonstrations were treated unjustly. The foundation calls for the equal treatment of all Americans and claims that its research revealed “numerous unmet needs for the defendants and their families.”
