On Tuesday, Chansley became one of the first three people indicted by federal prosecutors in connection with the violence on Capitol Hill. He was accused of violating Federal Riot Law, as well as obstructing Congress and other offenses.
Watkins, Chansley’s lawyer, said on Thursday that his client, “like many other people deprived of civil rights in our country, felt very, very, very solidly synchronized” with the president – suggesting that Chansley was incited to invade the Capitol in the name of Trump.
“He felt his voice was being heard for the first time,” said Watkins. “And what ended up happening, in the run-up to the election, throughout the election period until January 6 – it was a driving force for a man he hung his hat on, he pulled the wagon to. He loved Trump. Every word, he hears it. “
Before the siege of the Capitol, the president, his family and political allies irritated his supporters at a rally at the White House Ellipse. When it was his turn to speak, Trump urged those in attendance to march on Capitol Hill amid Congressional certification of the election of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College.
“If you don’t fight like the devil, you won’t have a country anymore,” said Trump. He also said that “you will never have our country back with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong. “
On Thursday, Trump became the only president in the history of the United States to face two charges – this time, in a bipartisan vote on a single charge of “inciting insurrection”.
“We all have to understand that the words spoken by the president meant something, not just for my client. They meant something to many people, ”said Watkins in his interview.
“They heard those words. And those words meant something to them. And they had the right to trust the words of their president, which were broadcast around the world, ”he said. “And they did. And now they are changing [and] they are being arrested, as many should be. “
However, Trump “needs to get up and own these people,” argued Watkins. “He has an obligation to them. He has an obligation to our nation. This will not happen.”
Pressed by presenter Chris Cuomo on what exactly he would like Trump to do, Watkins replied, “Oh, forgive me.”
As Chansley’s lawyer, “my role is not to judge anyone. My role is to be a lawyer, ”said Watkins. “If there is a slight chance that the guy who is the president of our country – who invited everyone to come down to Pennsylvania [Avenue] – you will forgive my client, you know what? I’m going to do this. “
Watkins acknowledged, however, that his request was unlikely to succeed. “I’m holding my breath thinking that Donald Trump is going to sit around thinking, ‘You know what? … What’s the name of that horned guy? Yes … let’s forgive him. ‘”
But “with Trump,” said Watkins, “you never know. He can say, ‘I want the horned guy.’ The next thing you know, maybe he is represented by the shaman instead of Rudy Guiliani. “
Watkins went on to compare the supporters of the president who invaded the Capitol to members of the Jonestown cult who committed mass suicide in their Guyana settlement.
Watkins went on to compare the supporters of the president who invaded the Capitol with the members of the Jonestown cult who committed mass suicide at their settlement in Guyana in 1978: “Do you know the only thing different here? There is no Kool-Aid. “