Qanon Shaman sentencing: Chansley lawyer blasts Trump for ‘f***ing up’ Jan 6 jackasses
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Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release.
The sentence is ten months shorter than what the prosecution recommended. Chansley has already served almost 11 months following his January arrest.
Jacob Chansley pleaded guilty in September to obstructing an official proceeding for taking part in the siege of Congress when Trump supporters stormed the legislature in an effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s election victory.
Ahead of today’s sentencing, prosecutors have urged District Judge Royce Lamberth to send Chansley to prison for 51 months.
“Defendant Chansley’s now-famous criminal acts have made him the public face of the Capitol riot,” prosecutors argued.
Chansley’s defence team requested a sentence of time served for the time that he has spent in custody since being detained in January. Prison staff have diagnosed Chansley with transient schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety during his time behind bars.
As he pled guilty, Chansley said he was disappointed that he hadn’t received a pardon from former President Donald Trump before he left office.
Prosecution asks for sentence ‘at the top of the guidelines’ for the ‘flagbearer’ of Capitol riot
The prosecutor asked for a sentence “at the top of the guidelines” for the “flagbearer” of the Capitol riot to “send a strong message” that an insurrection can never take place again.
Assistant US Attorney Kimberly Paschall argued for 51 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $2,000 of restitution.
Defence lawyer says he ‘cannot deny the attack of democracy that occurred'
Defence lawyer Alber Watkins said he was “appalled” on 6 January by the “attack on democracy”.
“I have come to conclude that the events of Jan 6 are not of the same degree of abhorrence as Pearl Harbor” or 9/11, Mr Watkins said, but added that he “cannot deny the attack of democracy that occurred”.
He said those responsible for 6 January “is not the issue here”.
He added that questions about who organised and funded the riot was not for this court to answer.
Mr Watkins said his client “wants to be held accountable”.
Defence attorney focuses on Chansley’s younger years and mental health struggles
Defence attorney Albert Watkins focused on Jacob Chansley’s younger years and his mental health struggles, saying that “this isn’t a drive-in movie theatre. We don’t need to see more video,” following the prosecution’s media-heavy presentation.
He noted that Chansley was a Navy supply clerk seaman apprentice.
“He was a member of our armed forces. He was a sailor,” Mr Watkins said, adding that Chansley was a “pie-faced young man” who was failed by his government, which didn’t provide the treatment needed for Chansley, whom he called “mentally challenged”.
He added that if treatment had been provided, Chansley may not have ended up in court.
Judge Royce Lamberth said Chansley “made himself the image of the riot”. Mr Watkins fully agreed. He added that the will to punish his client was driven by “optics”.
Lawyer says Chansely has shown a ‘lifetime of kindness'
Defence attorney Albert Watkins argued that prison would worsen Chansley’s mental health issues.
He added that it should be “the proud duty” of the US to protect its most vulnerable people and that you can’t label all 6 January rioters under “one moniker”.
“Jacob presents as a very unappealing defendant,” Mr Watkins but added that you have to “scratch down to the surface”.
He said Chansley has shown a “lifetime of kindness” and shouldn’t be judged by his actions on one day.
Chansley says he’s been asking himself ‘What would Jesus do?'
In an address to the court, Chansley said he’s been asking himself “What would Jesus do?” and “What would Ghandi do?” during his ten months in jail.
“I broke the law,” he said, adding that he should do what “Gandhi would do” and what “men of honour do”.
“I needed the time to reevaluate,” he said as he admitted his guilt.
‘I was wrong for entering the Capitol, I have no excuse,’ Chansley says as he invokes Gandhi
Chansley said during his address to the court that he was “wrong for entering the Capitol, I have no excuse”.
He said he was “truly repentant” and that he’s a “good man”, adding that he isn’t a violent criminal or domestic terrorist.
“I would do everything differently on 6 January,” he said. “It’s incredible what a third party perspective can do,” he said about seeing his actions on video.
“What if we all judge Gandhi based on that he beat his wife before his spiritual awakening,” Chansley added.
‘I’m nothing like these criminals I’ve been incarcerated with,’ Chansley says of time in jail
Chansley said his “behaviour was indefensible” as he addressed the court.
“I may be guilty of this crime. But I’m not a dangerous criminal. I’m not an Insurrectionist. I’m a good man who broke the law,” he added.
“I’m nothing like these criminals I’ve been incarcerated with,” he said, explaining that they were behaving as if they were living in a nice hotel.
He said he told the FBI everything because he’s a “man of truth”, and that he aided the prosecution and took the plea deal.
“When people were throwing things at police, I told them to stop,” he added.
Many other defendants in Capitol riot cases have claimed that they tried to stop fellow rioters.
Chansley criticises the media: ‘Most people will never understand'
Chansley said during his address to the DC court that “most people will never understand what it’s like to be in solitary confinement” and “to go starving for 11 days” or “to have the DOJ, FBI and the media put an intense amount of pressure on you”.
He added that the press is “looking at a small portion” of “targeted individuals” in order to make them appear controversial.
“I certainly have been controversialized, for sure,” he said.
‘I never want to go through anything like this ever again’: Chansley cites experience in jail
Chansley questioned how anyone could commit another crime after leaving jail.
“I never want to go through anything like this ever again,” he said.
“I want to evolve. I want to grow beyond what I was. That’s what life is all about,” he told the judge.
“I could not have asked God for a better judge,” he added. “I will never re-offend again.”
Judge compares Chansley statement to Martin Luther King Jr
Judge Royce Lamberth compared Chansley’s statement to “something Martin Luther King Jr” would have said.
The judge said he believed Chansley was genuine in his remorse but that what he did during the riot was “terrible”.