Which specific firms and individuals received the $3.5 million from the Trump campaign linked to Jan. 6 organizing?

1. The core finding: $3.5 million paid to “people and firms” tied to Jan. 6

OpenSecrets reported that more than $3.5 million in direct payments from Trump’s 2020 campaign and its joint fundraising committees went to people and firms involved in organizing the Washington, D.C., events that preceded the Capitol attack, a figure subsequently cited by outlets including Forbes and Truthout ^{[1] [2] [4]}. Those payments were identified in Federal Election Commission filings but OpenSecrets and other analysts stress that filings do not capture all routing and that substantial spending was obscured by opaque vendor chains ^{[1] [3]}.

2. Named firm: Event Strategies Inc. — a major payee

Event Strategies Inc. is repeatedly documented as a recipient of campaign funds and appears on the National Park Service permit for the Ellipse rally; OpenSecrets and Forbes note the Trump campaign paid Event Strategies and that the firm employed at least two people who were involved in Jan. 6 events ^[2]. Reporting across outlets shows Event Strategies received sizable, continuing payments from Trump‑aligned committees in the 2020 cycle and beyond, making it one of the largest disclosed beneficiaries tied to rally logistics ^{[4] [3]}.

3. Named individuals and fundraising firms: Caroline Wren and BlueBonnet

Caroline Wren, a prominent Trump fundraiser who founded BlueBonnet Fundraising and was listed as a “VIP Advisor” on the permit for the Jan. 6 rally, is identified in filings as a paid consultant to the campaign and linked to fundraising and planning around the events; OpenSecrets and Newsweek report she received at least $170,000 from the campaign’s political operation during the 2020 cycle ^{[3] [5]}. Truthout and OpenSecrets also connect BlueBonnet and other fundraising networks to payments related to the event ^{[4] [6]}.

4. Donors and backers who funded the event infrastructure: Julie Fancelli and Alex Jones’ role

Beyond campaign disbursements, independent big donors helped underwrite the Ellipse rally: reporting compiled in Wikipedia (based on contemporary sourcing) attributes large donor activity to Julie Fancelli, who budgeted millions and funneled money to reserve the Ellipse through intermediaries including figures tied to Alex Jones ^[7]. That funding is distinct from the $3.5 million in campaign payments but is central to the broader funding picture for the Jan. 6 gatherings ^[7].

5. The opaque middlemen: American Made Media Consultants and shell routing

Analysts caution that the campaign routed hundreds of millions of dollars through entities such as American Made Media Consultants LLC, a clearinghouse that concealed ultimate payees; OpenSecrets notes that some payments linked to the campaign’s joint fundraising committee passed through that LLC, meaning publicly reported line items understate the true flow of money to rally organizers and vendors ^{[1] [3]}. This opacity is a recurring theme in OpenSecrets’ and other outlets’ analyses of how the campaign’s post‑election fundraising translated into payments.

6. What reporting does not conclusively show

Public filings and nonprofit investigations name Event Strategies Inc., Caroline Wren/BlueBonnet, Julie Fancelli and highlight the use of American Made Media Consultants LLC as a conduit, but the full roster of individuals and the complete dollar trail remain indeterminate in the public record because of shell companies and aggregated reporting practices; OpenSecrets explicitly warns the American public may never know the full extent of the campaign’s payments to organizers ^{[1] [3]}. Where sources diverge in dollar totals (reports range from “more than $3.5 million” to higher figures) that reflects differing cutoffs and whether later 2021 payments and leadership‑PAC disbursements are included ^{[5] [6]}.