Horn-iest Jan. 6 Rioter Cuts a Deal With the Feds
The “QAnon Shaman”—who notoriously stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 carrying a spear and a bullhorn and wearing a horned headpiece made of coyote skin—has cut a plea deal with the feds
Jacob Chansley, 33, was arrested three days after the riots and charged with civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, disorderly conduct in a restricted building, and demonstrating in a Capitol building. Since his arrest, he has made headlines for his multiple attempts to get out of jail before his trial, his demand for organic food in jail because of his supposed Shaman faith bars, and going on national TV while behind bars.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., updated Chansley’s criminal docket on Thursday to reveal that a plea agreement hearing is set for his case on Friday morning before Judge Royce C. Lamberth. Chansley—who is locked up in a D.C. jail—will appear in the hearing via video link.
While the details of the deal are not yet available, Chansley faces up to 28 years in prison if convicted on the six charges.
His lawyer, Al Watkins, has repeatedly claimed that his client is no longer a Trump-sympathizing conspiracy theorist and thus should be cut a break. In a statement on Thursday, Watkins again pointed to Chansley’s supposed repudiation of QAnon.
“Mr. Chansley, a long avowed and practicing Shaman, has repudiated the ‘Q’ previously assigned to him and requests future references to him be devoid of use of the letter ‘Q’,” he wrote.
“It is imperative that patience and compassion be accorded those, who like Mr. Chansley, were non-violent, peaceful and possessed of genuine mental health issues which rendered them more vulnerable to the propaganda of the day but who, at the end of day, seek to be accountable for their actions,” Watkins added.
Jacob Chansley on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
As one of the first people to breach the Capitol and storm the Senate chamber, Chansley was infamously photographed in his eccentric outfit alongside a group of MAGA insurrectionists. Chansley was among a handful of rioters who successfully stormed the Senate chamber during the insurrection—along with an Air Force vet holding zip ties.
According to a criminal complaint, Chansley admitted to federal authorities that he left a chilling note for former Vice President Mike Pence on his desk in the Senate Chamber, calling him a “child-trafficking traitor.”
“It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming,” the note read, though Chansley claimed to the FBI that he didn’t mean it as a threat.
Feds also noted that prior to the riot, Chansley was also a key participant in the riots and the “self-proclaimed leader” of QAnon, a violent conspiracy theory that believes pedophiles and cannibals in the Democratic Party will be arrested and executed.
Watkins previously told The Daily Beast that after his client’s arrest that Chansley has “gone through a period of introspection” and realized that he made himself “open to the propaganda from the former president.” One major factor toward his wake-up call came after Trump apparently snubbed a pardon request from Chansley and other Capitol rioters.
“He has come to grasp that fact that the former president really didn’t love him and that all the bullshit about Trump’s army and all the social media-driven conspiracy theories led to a lot of the vulnerability,” Watkins, told The Daily Beast in February.
That same month, Chansley’s attorney asked the court to release his client—stating that the Arizona man had not eaten in nine days because his Shaman faith bars him from eating the non-organic food provided in jail. Chansey was ultimately granted his dietary request.
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