"QAnon Shaman" claims he wasn't attacking the country in first interview since Capitol riot arrest
Speaking for the first time from jail, the man known as the "QAnon Shaman" told 60 Minutes+ correspondent Laurie Segall he doesn't think his actions during the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol were an attack on the nation.
"No, they were not, ma'am. My actions were not an attack on this country. That is incorrect. That is inaccurate, entirely," Jacob Chansley said in an excerpt from the interview that aired on "CBS This Morning."
Video allegedly showed Chansley on the Senate floor during the insurrection, bare-chested and wearing a fur helmet with horns. He was arrested shortly after and now faces up to 20 years behind bars. A judge will hear arguments Friday on whether he should be released from jail before trial.
Describing his actions on January 6, Chansley said, "Well, I sang a song. And that's a part of shamanism. It's about-- creating positive vibrations in a sacred chamber. I also stopped people from stealing and vandalizing that sacred space, the Senate. Okay? I actually stopped somebody from stealing muffins out of the-- out of the break room. And I also said a prayer in that sacred chamber. Because it was my intention to bring divinity, and to bring God back into the Senate."
"But Jake, legally, you were not allowed to be in what you're calling the sacred chamber," Segall said to Chansley.
"And that is-- and that is the one very serious regret that I have, was believing that when we were waved in by police officers, that it was acceptable," Chansley said.
Five people died during the insurrection Chansley allegedly participated in. More than 130 officers were injured in the attack, many seriously.
Over 300 people have been charged with crimes in connection with the assault on the Capitol. A federal grand jury indicted Chansley on January 11. The indictment charges two felonies and four misdemeanors, including civil disorder (interfering with a law officer) and violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
An affidavit from Chansley's arrest says investigators were able to identify him as one of the men on the Senate floor by his tattoos and unique attire, matching them with his Facebook account.
The affidavit also says Chansley voluntarily called the FBI the day after the insurrection, admitting he was the man seen wearing a headdress and face paint while sitting in Vice President Mike Pence's chair in the Senate. During that call, Chansley told law enforcement that he came as a part of a group effort, with other "patriots" from Arizona, at the request of President Trump that all "patriots" come to D.C. on January 6.
Asked if he still considers himself to be a patriot, Chansley told Segall, "I consider myself a lover of my country. I consider myself a believer in the Constitution. I consider myself a believer in truth and our founding principles. I consider myself a believer in God."
Chansley said that he believed President Trump "had our back" and expressed disappointment he didn't receive a pardon from the former president. When asked whether he regretted his loyalty to Trump, Chansley told Segall while he regrets entering the building "with every fiber of my being," he doesn't regret his loyalty to the former president.
Segall's report, including her remote interview with Chansley, can be seen on 60 Minutes+, a new show available on ViacomCBS' new streaming platform, Paramount+.