Trump golf course set to host Jan. 6 'Awards Gala' fundraiser for Capitol riot defendants

Donald Trump's campaign says he won't be attending a fundraiser for families of people who were charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots after the former president was listed as an invited speaker for the event at his New Jersey golf club.

More than 1,400 defendants have been charged in the attack on the Capitol, and Trump has been federally indicted on election interference charges that allege he played a part in inciting the violent mob.

The "J6 Awards Gala" by nonprofit Stand in the Gap is scheduled for Sept. 5 at the Trump National Golf Club - Bedminster. According to the event listing online, the event will raise money and pay tribute to "all J6 defendants who have shown incredible courage and sacrifice."

Trump is listed as an invited speaker, alongside confirmed speakers Rudy Giuliani and Anthony Raimondi. The Trump campaign told USA TODAY he will not be attending.

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Donald Trump has long aligned himself with Jan. 6 defendants

While Democrats hammer Trump for the events of that day, Trump has suggested that those convicted in the riots should be released. He has also played recordings from the J6 Prison Choir at his rallies. The Stand in the Gap fundraiser will also honor the choir's song "Justice for All."

Several people online have reacted to the event in disbelief, including former Mike Pence advisor Olivia Troye.

"Celebrating the people who endangered the life of (Trump's) own Vice President & glorifying violence is a dangerous assault on our democracy & a disgraceful rewriting of history," Troye, who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, wrote on X. "We must all stand together against him."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., avoided weighing in on whether Trump should attend the event but condemned the rioters.

"I have no sympathy for those who broke into the Capitol, destroyed the place and hurt police officers," Graham said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. When pressed on whether Trump should allow the event to happen, Graham responded "I'll leave it up to him as to what causes to support."

“Most Americans believe the January 6 rioters who violently attacked police officers and tried to overthrow an election belong in jail," Harris-Walz spokesperson Sarafina Chitika told USA TODAY, calling the event "a slap in the face to every police officer who defended our Capitol in its darkest hour and every American who believes in the rule of law."

More than 1,400 charged after Capitol riot

On Jan. 6., 2021, a group of demonstrators breached the U.S. Capitol while Congress was in the process of affirming the 2020 election results, in which President Joe Biden beat Trump.

Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol that day, according to the Department of Justice. Five people at the riot died of varying causes and at least four police officers who responded to the Capitol riots died by suicide in the months after the incident.

As of May 2024, 1,424 defendants have been charged as a result of investigations into the riots, according to a Justice Department release.

The insurrection led to Trump's second impeachment. Trump has been indicted in a federal criminal case on charges that accuse him of trying to overturn the election, efforts that in part led to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Contributing: Zac Anderson, Bart Jansen, Chelsey Cox, Matthew Brown

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jan. 6 'Awards Gala' fundraiser at Trump's New Jersey golf course