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A man who calls himself the “QAnon Shaman” and stormed the United States Capitol on January 6 wearing a horned bearskin headdress, face makeup and no shirt, is ready to testify in former President Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial, his lawyer said this week.
Jacob Anthony Chansley later regretted being ‘duped’ by the former President after he was not given a pardon after the Capitol attack, lawyer Albert Watkins told KSDK-TV in St Louis last week.
Watkins added that Chansley also lamented “to be in a position where he allowed this deception to put him in a position to make decisions he should not have made”.
The lawyer told The Associated Press he had not yet spoken to any lawmakers about the offer and that senators did not vote to allow witnesses during the trial, which failed in a vote during Trump’s first impeachment trial.
FILE – In this file photo from Wednesday, Jan.6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump including Jacob Chansley, center in fur and horned hat, confront Capitol Hill police officers outside the Senate Chamber in inside the Capitol in Washington. A video showed Chansley leading other people in prayer inside the Senate Chamber. (AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta)
“ QANON SHAMAN ” LAWYER SAYS CAPITOL RIOTER REGRETS TO BE “ DUPE ” BY TRUMP
At that time, however, the Republicans had the majority, which has now reverted to the Democrats.
Watkins said it was important for senators to hear the voice of someone who had been instigated by Trump. He described Chansley as having been “horribly beaten” by Trump, but said that when he did not receive a pardon following the riot, he felt “betrayed”.
Trump has been indicted by the House for “inciting insurgency” after the riots, and the Senate trial is scheduled to begin the week of February 8.
This will be the first impeachment trial of a former US president.
As Democrats consider whether to use witnesses in the trial, Democratic House impeachment officials are likely to use at least some of the plethora of social media videos which in many cases , were filmed by the rioters themselves.
GRAHAM WARNS DEMS ‘EXPLODES’ THE SENATE BY ADVANCING WITH A TRIAL, CALLING WITNESSES
Chansley is set to be arraigned in Washington, DC on Friday, where he faces charges of civil unrest, obstruction of due process, disorderly conduct in a restricted building and protest in a Capitol building, among other charges accusation.
Watkins argued last week that his client was practically “invited” into the Capitol by Trump and pressured to take extreme measures to reverse the election results.
“Let’s roll the tape,” he told KSDK. “Let’s roll the months of lies, false statements and horrible insinuations and hyperbolic rhetoric from our president intended to ignite, enrage, motivate.”
In successfully seeking his detention until trial, prosecutors said Chansley walked into the Capitol carrying an American flag tied to a wooden pole topped with a spear, ignored an officer’s orders to leave , went to the Senate chamber and wrote a threatening note to the then vice president. President Mike Pence.
Chansley, who has long been in Trump’s rallies, told investigators he came to Capitol Hill “at the president’s request that all” patriots “come to Washington on Jan.6,” according to court records.
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He was held in his home state of Arizona until his arraignment in Washington, DC.
Fox News’ Vandana Rambaran and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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