Erin Lichy responded to allegations from viewers of Real Housewives of New York City who accused her of donating to former President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" campaign after the 2020 election. In a statement to We on Monday, July 31, Lichy, 36, clarified, "I want to address the false narratives being spread about me. I want to make it clear that I did not support 'Stop the Steal' and firmly believe that the 2020 presidential election was fair, with the president rightfully elected."
Lichy responded to speculation on social media regarding TikTok videos claiming she donated money to Republicans following the announcement of the 2020 election results. In response to a comment accusing her of supporting January 6 white supremacists, Lichy refuted the claim and offered to address any questions through direct message.
The Instagram commenter appeared to be referencing a series of recent TikTok videos. These videos claimed that Lichy had made four separate donations to Trump's campaign following his loss in the November 2020 election to President Joe Biden. In one video, a TikTok user shared a screenshot that allegedly showed Lichy's four donations to WinRed, a fundraising platform for Republican candidates endorsed by the Republican National Committee.
Another TikTok video provided specific dates for Lichy's alleged donations, all of which supposedly occurred after major news organizations had correctly projected Biden, 80, as the winner. Despite this, Trump, 77, falsely asserted the opposite, tweeting, "I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!" Subsequently, Trump's campaign sent multiple emails to supporters, requesting donations to "defend the integrity" of the election.
WinRed is primarily utilized for processing donations for election campaigns. However, a HuffPost report released in October 2021 connected the platform to Kash Patel, who was using WinRed to collect funds for his "Legal Offense Trust." During that time, Patel's website stated that the collected funds would be allocated for various purposes, including but not limited to valid legal expenses.
As Patel, aged 43, was not a candidate for any office, he was not obligated to disclose how the donations would be utilized. This raised concerns among some critics who questioned whether the funds might be used to financially support individuals involved in the January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
A representative for Patel has stated that he is cooperating fully with the investigation into the insurrection. The spokesperson also mentioned that the Kash Patel Legal Offense Trust was established a few months ago to raise funds for fellow Americans who believed they were silenced or censored by the media and big tech. Patel remains committed to the committee and will always provide truthful information about the events of January 6.
According to the findings of the January 6 committee last year, it was discovered that Trump raised $250 million in donations in the week following the election for an "Official Election Defense Fund" that never actually existed. Instead, the funds were redirected to Trump's Save America PAC, which later made contributions to Trump hotels and the company responsible for organizing the rally that preceded the January 6 attack.
In a deposition, one former Trump campaign staffer described the alleged defense fund as nothing more than a “marketing tactic.”