Will Donald Trump pardon ‘QAnon Shaman’ Jake Angeli? Capitol rioter in bizarre getup demands clemency
President Donald J. Trump should pardon the so-called "QAnon Shaman" who stormed the US Capitol wearing a bizarre outfit, his lawyer says. "33-year-old Jacob Chansley was simply acting on Trump's invitation when he and others were led into the Capitol on January 6", his attorney Al Watkins said. At the time, Congress had begun formally counting the Electoral College votes to certify Joe Biden has the next President of the United States, the New York Post reported. “The words and invitation of a president are supposed to mean something,” Watkins said in a statement to the Kansas City Star. According to him, Chansley “took seriously the countless messages of President Trump. Like tens of millions of other Americans, Chansley felt — for the first time in his life — as though his voice was being heard.”
Chansley, better known by the names Jake Angeli or QAnon Shaman, grabbed headlines due to his wild getup during the Capitol siege. He was spotted wearing a furry horned hat and red, white, and blue war paint on his face. The alleged conspiracy theorist was shirtless as he brandished a spear with the American flag on the dais of the US Senate. “His attire was consistent with his long-held Shaman beliefs,” Watkins said, defending his client.
According to the report, Chansley turned himself in to authorities Saturday night and faces charges of disorderly conduct, violent entry and illegally being on restricted spaces within the Capitol grounds. However, Watkins argued that his client had conducted himself in a “peaceful and compliant fashion” during the siege, which claimed five lives, including a police officer.
The lawyer said Chansley deserved clemency from the outgoing POTUS as he was "was unarmed. He was not violent. He was not destructive." “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,” Watkins added.
Chansley is currently remanded in custody in a federal lockup in Phoenix, Arizona as he awaits charges for his role in the riots in Washington, D.C. Recently, a judge ruled that the QAnon Shaman should be allowed access to organic food in line with his strict shaman diet while in prison. This was after he refused to eat anything else and went on a hunger strike.
His mother, Martha Chansley, was concerned about whether her son would get organic food in prison. She was pleased that Judge Deborah Fine ordered that Angeli's dietary concerns be addressed. "He gets very sick if he doesn't eat organic food - literally will get physically sick,“ the concerned mother told reporters after the hearing. David Gonzales, U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona, said Angeli will be provided food in line with his organic diet.
Martha Chansley also spoke to the press about how proud she was of her son, calling him "a great patriot, a veteran, a person who loves this country”. She revealed that Angeli, who had attended Moon Valley High School, was a navy veteran.
Roughly 15 years ago, Angeli wore a Navy uniform for just over two years, according to his service record information. Angeli served in the Navy as a 'supply clerk seaman apprentice', joining in September 2005. He left in October 2007, shortly after earning the rank of E-2.