Court Battles

Man known as ‘QAnon Shaman’ asks Trump for pardon after storming Capitol

A man who donned fur, horns and red, white and blue face paint while storming the Capitol last week is now requesting a pardon from President Trump.

Jacob Anthony Chansley, who also goes by the name “QAnon Shaman,” turned himself in to authorities Saturday after he traveled to Washington, D.C., at Trump’s call for “patriots” to take a stand against the election results.

His attorney Albert Watkins is now making a plea for a pardon, stating that Chansley was not involved in Wednesday’s violence and surrendered peacefully.

“My client had heard the oft-repeated words of President Trump,” Watkins said, according to local CBS station KMOV4. “The words and invitation of a president are supposed to mean something. Given the peaceful and compliant fashion in which Mr. Chansley comported himself, it would be appropriate and honorable for the president to pardon Mr. Chansley and other like-minded, peaceful individuals who accepted the president’s invitation with honorable intentions.” 

Chansley is facing charges including knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. 

In the days following the riot, Chansley told NBC News that he did not see anything wrong with his actions.

“The fact that we had a bunch of our traitors in office hunker down, put on their gas masks and retreat into their underground bunker, I consider that a win,” he said, referring to the lawmakers inside the building who had to take shelter.

Earlier this week, Chansley reportedly refused to eat food given to him while in custody because it was not organic.   

Tags Capitol breach Donald Trump Jacob Anthony Chansley QAnon QAnon shaman

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