London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

QAnon shaman turns against Trump, says he would testify that president incited Capitol riots as Trump did not pardon him

QAnon shaman turns against Trump, says he would testify that president incited Capitol riots as Trump did not pardon him

By blaming Trump he can get from the Democrats prosecutors the pardon he disappointedly did not get from Trump.
He was the face of the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill. Shirtless, but clad in a coyote-fur headdress, buffalo horns, face paint and tattoos and wielding a spear, Jacob Chansley seemed the de facto lead in the uprising that tried to prevent the Biden Electoral College win over President Trump.

Chansley can be seen in many photos in his primitive outfit — complete with wildly incongruous backpack — in the Senate chamber that day, where he left a note for then-Vice President Mike Pence, who had been leading the hearing, that read, “It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.”

But now the 33-year-old, “horrendously smitten” with Trump less than a month ago, has turned against him. Chansley’s public defender, Albert Watkins, says his client now feels let down after he didn’t get a pardon from the outgoing president. He is willing to testify against Trump at next week’s impeachment trial, and Watkins said it’s important for senators to hear the voice of someone who was incited by him.

Chansley has pleaded not guilty to charges of violent entry, disorderly conduct and obstruction of an official proceeding, which occurred after hundreds of protesters unlawfully and violently entered the Capitol.

But, says his lawyer, Chansley is actually non-violent and truly spiritual. “My client was, just like tens of thousands of others, just like high school students being jazzed up by their coach before a big game,” Chansley’s lawyer, Albert Watkins, told CBC Radio’s As It Happens host Carol Off. “You have to get to know the man behind the horn and the fur.”

Chansley, who calls himself the QAnon Shaman and has long been a fixture at Trump rallies, told investigators he came to the Capitol “at the request of the president that all ‘patriots’ come to D.C. on January 6,” according to court records. Watkins said Trump’s maxims do not excuse his client’s behaviour but “does, however, mitigate that culpability.”

In court on Friday, Watkins called his client “a man of faith in shamanism, a longstanding faith.”

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth seemed genuinely curious about Chansley’s spiritual convictions. “Tell me a little more about the religion,” the judge asked Watkins at one point. “I don’t know a thing about it,” was the response.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×