DOJ opposes pretrial release for ‘QAnon Shamam’ Jacob Chansley

Jacob Anthony Chansley, the “QAnon Shaman” among the most visible faces of the mobs that stormed the U.S. Capitol, is a danger and should remain jailed, the U.S. Department of Justice argued Monday.

The Justice Department told a federal court judge in D.C. that it opposes granting pre-trial release to Mr. Chansley, who donned face paint, horns and a headdress while inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Mr. Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, a self-described shaman from Arizona, was captured by cameras around the Capitol wearing his unique ensemble and carrying a flagpole with a blade attached.

A lawyer for Mr. Chansley asked last week that his client be released from custody until his case is resolved, causing acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin to make clear the government’s objections.

“The Court need look no further than the defendant’s own words during and after the riot to determine that he is a danger to the community,” wrote Mr. Sherwin, the top law enforcement officer in D.C., wrote in a motion opposing the defendant’s request for pretrial release. A

In one instance, Mr. Sherwin noted, Mr. Chansley was recorded leading an invocation from within the Senate chamber during which he spoke of ridding the building of communists, globalists and traitors.

All the while, Mr. Sherwin added, Mr. Chansley was brandishing a long flag pole with a large spear on its end.

“The defendant subsequently took that weapon in to the gallery the United States Senate chamber, driving it into the ground while screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs,” Mr. Sherwin wrote. “Not only were his actions terrifying, they were obstructing the normal functioning of the Government, as clearly no business could be conducted when a man with a spear shouting obscenities was in the Chamber.”

Albert S. Watkins, a lawyer defending Mr. Chansley, previously described the spear as a finial, a decorative ornament, and that its usage is “consistent with the Shamanic faith of the Defendant.”

“The argument that such a weapon is actually an honorific to his Shaman faith and to the United States flag, which was crudely zip-tied to the weapon, is a difficult pill to swallow, particularly when the defendant is dishonoring everything that flag represents by attempting to stop the peaceful transfer of power on which our Democracy is built,” Mr. Sherwin responded Monday.

Mr. Chansley has been charged with civil disorder; obstruction of an official proceeding; entering or remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts and is due back in court Friday.