'That defendant blatantly lied': Judge releases footage refuting Jacob 'QAnon Shaman' Chansley's 60 Minutes appearance

16 March 2021

There's a surprisingly important lesson in the 'QAnon shaman' and his antics behind bars

A federal judge who decided not to free Capitol rioter Jacob "QAnon Shaman" Chansley from jail released footage to bolster his denial of the request.

According to Law & Crime, the judge pushed back against Chansley's claim that Capitol law enforcement left the door open for the angry mob of Trump supporters. The court released two clips that highlighted the chaos that erupted at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6. The videos appear to refute Chansley's claims made during his recent appearance on "60 Minutes."

In a blistering 32-page evaluation of the footage, Senior Judge Royce Lamberth, appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, detailed what occurred in the footage as he lambasted Chansley for his television appearance during which he "blatantly lied."

"Not only is defendant unable to offer evidence substantiating his claim that he was waved into the Capitol, but evidence submitted by the government proves this claim false. A video submitted by the government captures rioters breaking through the windows of the Capitol building," Lamberth wrote. "At the same moment that rioters smash the glass and crawl through the windows, the video pans over to show a large group of rioters walking through an adjacent doorway into the Capitol building. Included in that group is defendant, who is easily identifiable by his horned headdress."

Lamberth argued that Chansley and his mother offered a relatively different depiction that did not coincide with the footage.

"The government's video shows that defendant blatantly lied during his interview with 60 Minutes+ when he said that police officers waved him into the building," Lamberth added. "Further, this video confirms that defendant did not, as defense counsel claims, enter the building" contemporaneously with the exiting by Capitol Police."

During the "60 Minutes" appearance, Chansley's mother, also made unfounded claims about him and others being "escorted into the Senate." Her remarks also contributed to the judge's decision.

"The Court is not persuaded that defendant's mother will ensure his compliance with any conditions of release imposed, and defendant identifies no other custodian," Lamberth wrote.

The judge went on to criticize Chansley's television appearance describing it as a "publicity stunt" orchestrated by the Capitol rioter's lawyer Albert Watkins.

"Such media appearances are undoubtedly conducive to defense counsel's fame. But they are not at all conducive to an argument that the only way defense counsel could privately communicate with his client is if defendant were temporarily released," Lamberth wrote. "Given defense counsel's decision to use what could have been a confidential videoconference on a media publicity stunt, that argument is so frivolous as to insult the court's intelligence."

On Monday, March 15, the judge denied Chansley's request to be released from jail.

From Your Site Articles