Former President Trump gave a speech at a fundraiser for defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol at his Bedminster, N.J., golf club on Thursday and pledged to contribute his own funds, multiple outlets reported.
“You have police officers, you have firemen, you have teachers, you have electricians, you have great people, and they’ve been made to pay a price that is very unfair — in many cases, not in all cases,” Trump said in his remarks, according to a video of the speech verified by NBC News, which first reported on the speech.
He repeated false claims that “BLM” and “Antifa” were responsible for violence during the riots. He also repeated false claims about the 2020 election.
Trump has repeatedly defended those charged in relation to the insurrection, calling them “great patriots” and saying they were being prosecuted “unfairly.” He has said he would consider pardoning Jan. 6 defendants if reelected.
Trump spoke at the fundraiser as he himself is under investigation for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, which has led to the arrests of hundreds.
Special counsel Jack Smith is investigating Trump’s role in the insurrection and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
This week, Smith reportedly reached agreements to secure the testimony of two fake electors. The two witnesses, Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald and Nevada Republican Party official Jim DeGraffenreid, were given limited immunity in return for testifying in the case.
In a separate investigation being led by Smith, Trump was arraigned earlier this month on 37 felony charges related to mishandling of classified information.
In his Thursday speech, Trump likened the U.S. to a “third world country,” criticizing the nation’s voting systems and what he characterized as pitfalls by the Biden administration, according to the video.
“We were just starting. We were going to reduce debt and we were going to reduce taxes further. It was all beautiful,” he said.