American Jacob Chansley, the so-called “QAnon Shaman”, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the invasion of the US Capitol.
The Justice Department has asked Chansley to receive a harsh sentence for setting an example among the Jan. 6 protesters. Prosecutors have branded Chansley a symbol of a barbaric mob.
Since then, Chansley has gained fame as the “QAnon Shaman”, a figure known on social media for widely shared photos that captured him wearing face paint and a headdress on the premises of the US Congress.
Judge Royce Lamberth has held Chansley since his arrest, despite his multiple attempts to secure his provisional release.
Other judges will likely see Lamberth’s sentence as possible jurisprudence, as Chansley is one of the first felony defendants among more than 660 Capitol riot cases to receive a punishment.
Photos of Chansley on Capitol Hill went viral due to his bizarre appearance as he led others through Congress, yelling into a megaphone. As one of the first 30 protesters in the building, he walked to the Senate platform, hastily vacated by then Vice President Mike Pence, and left a note that read: “It’s just a matter of time. Justice is coming!”, according to his confession documents.
Chansley will be credited for his time behind bars. He will also have to pay $2,000 (about R$11,000) for damage to the Capitol building during the riot and will serve three years of supervised release at the end of his prison term.
“He made himself the image of the mutiny”
Chansley also carried an American flag on a pole with a spear, which prosecutors characterized as a weapon.
Lamberth only asked a few questions—about Chansley leaving Pence a note and whether he knew of other threats to Pence’s life from the crowd, and about his choices that day.
“He made himself the image of the riot, didn’t he?” Lamberth told Chansley’s defense attorney. “For better or for worse, he made himself the image of this event.”
Prosecutor Kimberly Paschall used several videos to show Chansley’s entrance into the Capitol Building and the Senate Chamber, screaming along with the crowd. “This is not peaceful.”
Paschall called his role as the “flag-bearer” of the crowd “chaos” and “terrifying”.
Prior to Jan. 6, Chansley “posted scathing messages on social media, encouraging his thousands of followers to expose corrupt politicians, identify traitors in government, disrupt his agenda, deter theft and end the deep state,” said Paschall. “That was a call to battle.”
After the mutiny and his arrest, Chansley apologized to then-President Donald Trump. He also went on a hunger strike in an attempt to get organic food while in custody and spoke to the prison’s “60 Minutes” without permission. In September, Chansley claimed he was accused of obstructing Congressional certification for the 2020 vote.
Chansley speech
For more than 30 minutes, Chansley spoke with Lamberth about the impact the arrest had on him and the guilt he feels for breaking the law.
He said he made a mistake entering the Capitol on Jan. 6 and that he is not a domestic rebel or terrorist, but a “good man who broke the law.”
His broad speech caught the judge’s attention as Chansley quoted Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and “The Shawshank Redemption” and described his desire to live his life like Jesus Christ and Gandhi.
“The hardest part about this is knowing I’m to blame. To have to look in the mirror and know, you really screwed up. Really,” Chansley said.
“I was in solitary confinement because of me. Because of my decision. I broke the law… I should do what Gandhi would do and take responsibility,” he says. “There are no ifs, ands or buts about it, it’s what honorable men do.” He promised never to be arrested again.
“I think his comments are the most remarkable I’ve heard in 34 years,” Lamberth told Chansley, calling his speech “similar to the kind of thing Martin Luther King would have said.”
But, Lamberth added, “what you did here was as horrible as you now admit,” and he couldn’t justify a shorter sentence.
After the hearing, Chansley’s attorney, Albert Watkins, said Chansley is “agreeing to be held liable.”
(*This text has been translated. Click here to read the original in English)
Reference: CNN Brasil
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