- The court released two new videos on Tuesday depicting protesters storming the Capitol on January 6.
- The footage appears to debunk the claims made by QAnon Shaman that officials “waved” to protesters to enter.
- Shaman’s lawyer said he suspected the videos were not released until after the hearing.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
A week after a federal judge ruled that Jacob Chansley would remain in prison until his trial, the court released two new videos that appear to refute one of Chansley’s claims about his participation in the January 6 uprising.
In a prison interview for “60 Minutes +” earlier this month, self-described QAnon Shaman, his lawyer and his mother repeated the claim that Chansley had only entered the Capitol because the police had “waved” to protesters to enter, signaling to Chansley that the change was “acceptable”.
But in a March 8 motion to send Chansley into custody, Judge Royce Lamberth detonated Chansley’s story, saying the 33-year-old man “blatantly lied” about his alleged invitation to enter the building and made reference to video footage obtained by the government that Lamberth said they belied Chansley’s claims about Capitol police.
“Not only is it [Chansley] unable to offer evidence to substantiate his claim that he was taken to the Capitol, but the evidence presented by the government proves that claim to be false, “Lamberth wrote.” A video sent by the government captures protesters breaking the windows of the Capitol building. “
On Tuesday, the court released this footage.
The two videos, obtained for the first time by Law & Crime, depict the chaos inside and outside the United States Capitol on January 6, when a pro-Trump crowd appears to approach the Capitol police and eventually begins to break the law. windows to enter the federal building en masse.
Jacob Chansley on scaffolding outside the Capitol building on January 6.
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In the first video, Chansley can be seen on scaffolding in the air, holding an American flag while the crowd shouts “stop the seal”. Chansley is easily identifiable in both videos by his outfit, which includes red, white and blue face paint, a horned headdress and a bare chest.
The second video shows a similar crowd near the building, shouting “this is our country!” The protesters start banging on the windows until they shatter and then start climbing to enter the building. At the same time, Chansley and several others can be seen entering the building through a door.
It is not clear how or when the doors were opened.
Jacob Chansley entering the U.S. Capitol with a crowd of pro-Trump protesters on January 6, 2021.
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There does not appear to be any police or security guard near the door as the crowd enters, and no police officer can be seen in the video waving to the protesters.
“The government video shows that [Chansley] he blatantly lied during his interview with ’60 Minutes + ‘when he said the police officers waved him into the building, “wrote Lamberth.” In addition, this video confirms. [Chansley] no … entered, as the defense attorney represents, in the ‘third wave’ of the breach. On the contrary, he literally led it. “
Chansley’s lawyer, Al Watkins, however, told Insider on Tuesday that “it is strongly suggested that the videos be one-dimensional.”
“Subsequent scrutiny of the video (including the New Yorker video specifically cited by the government) gave rise to the identification of numerous ambiguities, irregularities, inconsistencies, timing issues and concerns about the government’s claims about Mr. Chansley’s actions based on in the government video, “Watkins said in a statement.
Watkins also issued a request for the public to “provide any video depicting the Shaman inside or around the Capitol on January 6, 2021” and created an email address for the public to send any evidence, according to the exit .
The Arizona native is facing six charges and up to 20 years in prison for his role in the riot. In addition to accusations that he illegally invaded the Capitol, court records state that Chansley also clashed with Capitol police officers, went to the Senate House and left a note on the platform of then Vice President Mike Pence saying “it’s just a a matter of time, Justice is Coming. “