'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Anthony Chansley's Attorney Says 'He Felt Like He Was Answering The Call Of Our President'
WASHINGTON D.C. (WJZ/CNN) -- The man known as a the "QAnon Shaman," Jacob Anthony Chansley, is asking President Donald Trump for a pardon after he was among the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The riot turned deadly -- a woman was shot and killed and a Capitol Police officer died, three others also died from "medical emergencies."
In a strange interview with CNN, Chansley's attorney Al Watkins told Chris Cuomo said, "He loved Trump, every word. He listened to him. He felt like he was answering the call of our president."
"My client wasn't violent. He didn't cross over any police lines," Watkins added. "He didn't assault anyone. He was there at the invitation of our president."
Crisis at the Capitol: Complete Coverage
But federal prosecutors want to keep Chansley, who rallied people inside the Capitol using a bullhorn, in detention. According to Capitol Police information included in the filing, Chansley, who is also known as Jake Angeli, was notable for his headdress, face paint and carrying of a six-foot spear.
"Strong evidence, including Chansley's own words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol and rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States government," government prosecutors wrote.
The allegations, written by Justice Department lawyers in Arizona, come as the government have begun describing in more alarming terms what transpired.
Chansley is due in federal court in Arizona on Friday for a detention hearing. He was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Prosecutors describe those who took over the Capitol as "insurrectionists" and offer new details about Chansley's role in the violent siege last week, including that after standing at the dais where Vice President Mike Pence had stood that morning, Chansley wrote a note saying "it's only a matter of time, justice is coming."
Chansley later told the FBI he did not mean the note as a threat but said the Vice President was a "child-trafficking traitor" and went on a long diatribe about Pence, Biden and other politicians as traitors.
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Before he was arrested, Chansley told the FBI he wanted to return to Washington for the inauguration to protest.
Prosecutors accuse Chansley of being a flight risk who can quickly raise money through non-traditional means as "one of the leaders and mascots of QAnon, a group commonly referred to as a cult (which preaches debunked and fictitious anti-government conspiracy theory)."
They also said Chansley suffers from mental illness and is a regular drug user, according to prosecutors' detention memo.
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