Jacob Chansley has become one of the most recognizable faces over the last week. Also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” he was caught in several photos during the siege on Capitol Hill wearing horns, face paint, and a headdress. After his arrest early this week, prosecutors wrote that he left a handwritten note for Vice President Mike Pence that read, “It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.” In a court filing outlining his charges, prosecutors allege the mob intended “to capture and assassinate elected officials.” NPR writes:
Chansley is charged with two felonies: obstructing the conduct of a law enforcement officer and obstructing an official proceeding. Prosecutors say that as he committed those actions, Chansley was also carrying a dangerous weapon – specifically, “a six-foot spear.”
But now his attorney, Albert Watkins, says he was only following orders by Donald Trump and therefore he is asking for a pardon. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Watkins “likened the relationship between Trump and his followers to the relationship between cult leader Jim Jones and members of the Peoples Temple. In 1978, after convincing members to move to a commune in Guyana, Jones orchestrated a mass suicide among his followers.”
Watch Watkins interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo below.