The lawyer for the so-called “QAnon Shaman” attempted to downplay responsibility for the Capitol rioters’ actions on Jan. 6.
Jacob Chansley, 33, of Arizona, appeared in court on Wednesday for a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to one count of obstructing a congressional proceeding after he entered the Senate chamber and sat in then-vice president Mike Pence’s chair, leaving a note calling him a “f*cking traitor,” but his attorney blamed society.
“January 6th gave rise to the world to see unbridled, unfettered repugnancy,” said attorney Albert Watkins. “But the cause of that is not the issue here. Jan. 6 is the day we will look back in our rear-view mirror … that will be the day we belly up to the bar and take responsibility for our role.”
Chansley, who went shirtless that day and wore a spear, face painting, and a fur cap with horns, used a bullhorn to summon other rioters to the Senate dais, but his defense contended that he was not aggressive during the insurgency and had not organized the assault.
“This case presents every bit as uniquely as Jake presented on Jan. 6,” Watkins argued. “This court is in a simultaneously unique position to mete out justice and to emphasize the common ground between all of us and somehow bridge this great divide.”
The lawyer then blamed the US Navy for failing to treat Chansley’s mental illness while he was serving in the military more than a decade ago.
Watkins says the Navy doctor diagnosed Jacob Chansley with a serious mental disorder (schizotypal personality disorder) but not not share that diagnosis with him or put him on a treatment plan. Calls it a “15-year missed opportunity.”
— Jordan Fischer (@JordanOnRecord) November 17, 2021
Judge Lamberth: “He made himself the image of the riot. For good or bad. He made himself the very image.”
Watkins: “For good or bad, yes your honor.”
— Jordan Fischer (@JordanOnRecord) November 17, 2021
“The government, in 2006, had a young man in their charge,” Watkins said. “I gave you a photo from that era. It looks like he’s 12. That young man, that kid, for the first time in his life, at the age of 19, he had access to medical care. He had the foresight, the insight, to go to the doc on the ship and say, hey, I want to find out if I’m crazy.”
The guy in face paint dressed up like a buffalo asks if he’s crazy.https://t.co/3wAJdNA9Ec
— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) November 17, 2021
According to Watkins, a Navy doctor diagnosed Chansley with a schizotypal personality disorder but failed to inform him or place the sailor on a treatment plan.
“The government, in this case, has an opportunity to right a wrong that was perpetrated by the government – perhaps not the Department of Justice,” Watkins argued.
Prosecutors want a four-year sentence, which is near the top of federal sentencing standards.
Jacob Chansley, the so-called “QAnon Shaman,” was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the US Capitol riot. While Crazy Jake had no comment, his new convict colleagues in prison love meeting anyone who likes to play dress-up and wear makeup. pic.twitter.com/ggRJ7iTgpT
— Art Young (@outpostart) November 18, 2021
Chansley was sentenced earlier this week as “the flag-bearer” of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, was sentenced on Wednesday to 41 months in prison.
Chansley, 34, became one of the most well-known people from the riot because of the bizarre costume he wore that day: a horned helmet, a fur pelt draped across his naked shoulders, and a thick patina of red, white, and blue face paint.
His ‘crazy’ act doesn’t hide that Chansley spent the days prior to Jan. 6 inciting violence and putting targets on lawmakers. Have fun in lockup, fool.
‘QAnon Shaman’ is sentenced to over 3 years in prison for role in Capitol riot https://t.co/slsV2H1eJM via @nbcnews
— Jim Carlson (@JamesCa61919131) November 17, 2021
Images of him yelling and waving a spear built from a flagpole on the Senate floor went viral around the world, a striking reminder of the role QAnon, the cultlike conspiracy theory embraced by certain supporters of former President Donald J. Trump, played in the assault.
Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Federal District Court in Washington handed down Chansley’s sentence, putting an end to not just one of the most well-publicized Capitol cases, but also one of the oddest. Mr. Chansley’s lawyer, Albert Watkins, claimed shortly after the attack that his client wanted Trump to pardon him and later offered to have him testify during Trump’s second impeachment trial.
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