The pro-Trump rally in Washington D.C that preceded an attack on the U.S Capitol was largely paid for by an heiress to Publix Super Markets.
According to a story in Saturday's Wall Street Journal, Julie Jenkins Fancelli gave about $300,000 to the "Save America" rally – more than half the cost of funding the event.
Now, the Lakeland-based company is trying to distance itself from the daughter of its founder.
According the newspaper, Fancelli — one of Publix founder George Jenkins' seven children — provided more than half the cost of funding for the event with the help of Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist and far-right talk show host.
Jones reportedly arranged for Fancelli to contribute the money via an official from Trump's 2020 presidential campaign.
The news led to backlash on social media, with the hashtag #BOYCOTTPUBLIX trending on Twitter over the weekend.
In a statement the company said, "Mrs. Fancelli is not an employee of Publix Super Markets, and is neither involved in our business operations, nor does she represent the company in any way."
The statement calls the Jan. 6 riot a national tragedy and said the the actions on that day don't represent the values, work, or opinions of Publix Super Markets.
Mrs. Fancelli is not an employee of Publix Super Markets, and is neither involved in our business operations, nor does she represent the company in any way. We cannot comment on Mrs. Fancelli’s actions.
— PublixHelps (@PublixHelps) January 30, 2021
The Journal reported that records show Fancelli donated more than $980,000 during the 2020 election campaign to a joint account for the Trump campaign and Republican Party.
The supermarket chain operates over 1,200 stores with the majority of them in Florida.
