Jacob Chansley, also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” was reprimanded by a federal judge on Friday after the Capitol’s alleged rioters appeared in a “60 Minutes Plus” interview aired the previous day.
US District Judge Royce C. Lamberth in Washington, DC, questioned Chansley’s appearance on the show during a detention hearing. Lamberth wondered if Chansley and his attorney Albert Watkins had gone through the correct channels to get approval for the performance, according to The Washington Post.
In his interview, Chansley said his involvement in the January 6 uprising at the Capitol was “not an attack on this country.” He also stated that he entered the Capitol because he “believed Donald Trump had our back.”
Chansley said he also remains loyal to the former President Trump
Donald Trump Trump Announces New Tranche of Approvals DeSantis, Pence Bound in 2024 Republican Poll Lawmakers Demand Changes After National Guard Troops in Capitol Get Sick With Contaminated Food MORE despite the fact that he was not pardoned by the president before leaving the White House.
“ I developed a lot of sympathy for Donald Trump because it seemed like the media was criticizing him and the establishment seemed to be pursuing him needlessly or unfairly, and I was a victim of that all my life, whether in school or at home. So in many ways I identify with a lot of the negative things he went through, ”Chansley said in the interview.
Watkins admitted to the judge that he had made “independent arrangements” to give Chansley an interview about “60 Minutes Plus,” but denied that he was fraudulent in his actions, the Post reported.
Chansley has been in prison since his arrest in his hometown of Phoenix on January 9. He is currently awaiting trial.
Earlier this week, federal prosecutors argued that Chansley should not be released from prison before his trial. They wrote in a court that he was a danger to the community.
“He cannot now be trusted to suddenly change course,” the prosecutors wrote.