Twitter CEO claims imprisoned Trump supporter was denied ‘fairness of justice’
SpaceX and Twitter CEO Elon Musk has called for the release of Jacob Chansley, the war-painted Trump supporter jailed for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot on Capitol Hill. Newly released video footage shows Chansley, dubbed the “QAnon Shaman” by the media, walking peacefully through the Capitol with a police escort.
Musk tweeted a video Friday showing Chansley encouraging his fellow protesters to “go home,” telling them that Donald Trump had asked them to leave the area. “Free Jacob Chansley,” he captioned the video.
“Chansley was falsely portrayed in the media as a violent criminal who attempted to overthrow the state and urged others to commit acts of violence. But here he is urging people to be peaceful and go home,” Musk wrote in a follow-up tweet.
“I’m not part of MAGA,” he added, referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, “but I believe in the fairness of justice.”
Chansley pleaded guilty in 2021 to one count of obstructing an official process and was sentenced to 41 months in prison. One of the first protesters to enter the Capitol on the day of the riot, Chansley was photographed inside the Senate chamber wearing a horned fur helmet with his face painted in the colors of the American flag.
The federal judge who sentenced Chansley described his actions as “horrible” And “creepy”. However, video footage released Monday by Fox News host Tucker Carlson showed Chansley walking around inside the Capitol alongside two police officers, before dedicating a prayer to the officers.
The Democratic-led Jan. 6 committee — formed to investigate Trump’s culpability in the riot — kept the footage under wraps. It was provided to Carlson by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after the GOP regained control of the House of Representatives in January.
“Chansley got 4 years in prison for a non-violent tour under police escort? » Musk wrote in another Tweeter Friday. This tweet was “verified fact” when shared on Instagram, with the platform linking to media reports claiming police repeatedly asked Chansley to leave the building and therefore did not “help” him around the Capitol.
“Capitol Police literally opened the door to the Senate Chamber for him on camera!” Musk exclaimed. “But who are you going to believe, Instagram’s ‘fact checkers’ or your own lying eyes!?”
Chansley is one of nearly 1,000 protesters arrested in connection with the riot, 306 of whom have been charged with obstructing an official process, according to Justice Department figures. The vast majority – 919 – of the defendants were charged with entering a federal building with restricted access, while 326 were charged with assaulting or disobeying a police officer. Of those detained, 518 pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors.
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