The attorney for an Arizona man who took part in the Capitol uprising while wearing face paint, no shirt, and a furry hat with horns, offers to his client, Jacob Chansleytestify during the upcoming of former President Donald Trump deposition process. Attorney Albert Watkins said it’s important for senators to hear the voice of someone turned on by Mr. Trump.
Watkins said his client had previously been “horribly beaten” by Mr. Trump, but now feels abandoned after Mr. Trump’s refusal to pardon Chansley and others who participated in the uprising. “He felt he had been betrayed by the president,” said Watkins.
Watkins said he has not spoken to any member of the Senate since he announced his offer to have Chansley – aka Jake Angeli – testify at the trial, scheduled for the week of February 8.
The words of Trump supporters accused of participating in the riot could ultimately be used against him in his impeachment lawsuit. Chansley and at least four other people facing federal charges as a result of the riot have suggested taking orders from the now former president.
Chansley, who calls himself the ‘QAnon Shaman’ and has long been a fixture at Trump rallies, has not yet made a plea for civil disorder allegations, obstruction of official proceedings, disorderly conduct in a confined building, demonstrating in a Capitol building and other counts. He will be charged in Washington on Friday.
Getty Images
In successfully seeking his detention up to trial, prosecutors said Chansley entered the Capitol with an American flag attached to a wooden pole topped with a spear, ignoring an officer’s order to leave. Prosecutors said Chansley entered the Senate Chamber with a group of about 25 rioters, posed for photos onstage where then Vice President Mike Pence had been minutes ago, and left a note that read, “It’s just a matter of time. is coming. ”
The next day, prosecutors say that Chansley called the FBI field office in Washington, admitted his involvement and described Pence as a “traitor to child trafficking,” but that he had no intention of viewing the note as a threat. When asked about the meaning of the note, he began a “long rant” describing current and past lawmakers, including Pence, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, as “infiltrators involved in various types of misconduct”. .
Chansley told investigators he came to the Capitol “at the request of the president that all the ‘patriots’ come to Washington on Jan. 6,” court documents said.
Prosecutors said Chansley is a “self-proclaimed leader” in the QAnon conspiracy theory movement. Images of shirtless Chansley storming the Capitol with horns, a coyote’s headdress made of fur and face paint, a megaphone and a spear quickly went viral on social media.
Erin Donaghue contributed to this report.