Jacob Chansley, also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” faced reprimand on Friday from a federal judge after the Capitol’s alleged riot appeared in a “60 Minutes Plus” interview aired the day before.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth in Washington, DC, asked questions about Chansley’s appearance on the show during an arrest hearing. Lamberth asked if Chansley and his attorney Albert Watkins went through the proper channels to get permission to appear, according to the Washington Post.
In his interview, Chansley expressed that his involvement in the January 6 Capitol Revolt “was not an attack on this country.” He also claimed he entered the Capitol building because he “believed Donald Trump had his back turned.”
Chansley said he also stays true to the former President Trump
Donald Trump Trump announces new stretch of DeSantis approvals, Pence tied in 2024 Republican poll Lawmakers call for changes after Capitol National Guard troops get sick from contaminated food MORE although the president did not forgive him before he left the White House.
“I developed a lot of sympathy for Donald Trump because it seemed like the media was taking him and it seemed like the establishment was harassing him unnecessarily or unfairly, and I had been a victim of this my whole life, whether at school or at home. “So in many ways, I identify with a lot of the negative things that were going on with him,” Chansley said in the interview.
Watkins admitted to the judge that he made “independent arrangements” to get Chansley to do an interview on “60 Minutes Plus,” but denied being misleading in his actions, the Post reported.
Chansley has remained in prison since his arrest in his hometown of Phoenix on January 9th. He is currently awaiting trial.
Earlier this week, federal prosecutors argued that Chansley should not be released from prison before his trial, and wrote in court that he posed a danger to the community.
“You can’t trust him to change course suddenly now,” prosecutors wrote.