A judge denied the pre-trial release of the self-described “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, calling his recent “60 Minutes Plus” interview – in which he claimed that Capitol cops told him to enter the building on January 6 – an elaborate “publicity stunt” “orchestrated to benefit a famed defense attorney.
Chansley – who gained widespread recognition after invading the Capitol shirtless, wearing face paint, a bearskin and a horned cap – will remain in prison, senior judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled in a blunt 32-page opinion issued by the District Court of the United States United States to the District of Columbia on Tuesday.
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Lamberth, appointed by former Republican President Ronald Reagan, criticized Chansley for his prison interview with “60 Minutes Plus” correspondent Laurie Segall, arguing that such teleconference privileges should have been used privately between the defendant and his attorney.
“These media appearances undoubtedly lead to the defense attorney’s fame,” wrote Lamberth. “But they do not lead to an argument that the only way in which the defense attorney could communicate privately with his client would be if the defendant were temporarily released.”
“Given the defense attorney’s decision to use what could have been a confidential videoconference in a publicity stunt in the media, this argument is so frivolous as to insult the court’s intelligence.”
ARCHIVE – In this archival photo of this Wednesday, January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump, including Jacob Chansley, center with fur and horned hat, are confronted by Capitol police outside the Senate Chamber inside Capitol Building in Washington. A video showed Chansley leading others in a prayer inside the Senate chamber. (AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Lamberth also ruled that the “six-foot pole with a metal spearhead attached to the top” that Chansley nailed to the floor of the Senate chamber is “undoubtedly a dangerous weapon”, rejecting defense attorney Albert Watkins’s argument that the object was a mast with an ornament on the end.
“Like a knife, it is inherently dangerous. Both objects have a sharp point designed to inflict damage through drilling or drilling,” wrote Lamberth. “In addition, a spear can inflict those piercings and stabs from a distance, making it even more effective as an offensive weapon than a knife.”
Authorities said Chansley was reportedly one of the first people to forcibly enter the Capitol building on January 6, disobeyed orders to leave, declined an official’s request to use Chansley’s megaphone to tell protesters to leave the chamber from the Senate, called Pence a traitor and wrote a note to the then vice president saying, “It’s just a matter of time, justice is coming.”
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Lamberth also rejected the defense’s argument that the note was merely a written sentence.
“Reading that note in the context of the defendant’s previous promotion of the execution of ‘traitors’ invalidates the notion that the defendant violated the Capitol merely to leave peaceful and political comments on the Senate platform,” wrote the judge.
“Furthermore, the fact that the defendant attributed his actions on January 6 to President Trump does little to persuade the Court that the defendant will not act in the same or similar manner again,” continued Lamberth. “In fact, in his interview with 60 Minutes +, the defendant stated that he does not regret his loyalty to former President Trump.”
Lamberth also denied Chansley’s release because of comments made by his mother, Martha Chansley, who said in a separate interview that her son was “escorted to the Senate” on January 6. Chansley’s connection to the QAnon conspiracy movement also makes him a risk of escape, the judge said.
“At the detention hearing before Judge Magistrate Fine, the government presented evidence indicating that the defendant is a leader and mascot of ‘QAnon’, a group that preaches conspiracy theories and has become widely publicized in recent months,” said the opinion, referring to Chansley’s previous detention hearing in Arizona prior to his transfer to Washington, DC “Given his prominent position in this group, the government argued, the defendant is able to ‘quickly raise large sums of money to travel through unrelated sources. traditional ‘. “
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Chansley, who calls himself “QAnon Shaman” and has long participated in Trump’s rallies, has unsuccessfully sought forgiveness from former President Donald Trump. He apologized in February, saying he was wrong to enter the Capitol building on January 6.
He pleaded not guilty to two crimes and four counts of misdemeanor. Chansley also made headlines after a judge approved a request for him to receive organic food in prison to honor his religious beliefs. He is being held in Washington, DC, after he was removed from an Arizona prison after his initial arrest.