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Jan. 6 ‘QAnon Shaman’ mulls run for Congress – report

November 13, 2023 | | Print Article

The “QAnon Shaman,” Jacob Chansley, wants to go back to the Capitol building — this time, as a lawmaker, not a lawbreaker.

Chansley became the face of the 2020 election protests at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. With his face paint, furry horned hat, tribal tattoos, and the American flag, he could be seen on videos being escorted by Capitol police through the building, with at least one officer checking for unlocked doors to the inner chamber.

Once in the Senate Chamber, Chansley thanked the officers and said a prayer.

For his actions, he was arrested in September 2021. Chansley pleaded guilty to civil disorder and violent entry and was sentenced to 41 months in prison.

After previously unseen J6 footage was finally released, showing at least nine officers who did nothing to stop the Shaman — indeed, they helped him — the Arizona resident was transferred to a halfway house in March 2023 after spending 27 months in jail.

Now, according to the Associated Press, Chansley, 35, is apparently making a bid for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District seat, currently held by Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko, who, last month, announced she won’t be seeking re-election in 2024.

On Thursday, Chansley filed a candidate statement of interest, online paperwork shows, and it looks like he’ll be running as a Libertarian.

A former member of the U.S. Navy, Chansley, much to the surprise of many who followed his antics, stated in July that he is no Donald Trump “fanboy.”

In an interview with the New York Post, he described himself as a “libertarian centrist.”

“I support Trump because he addressed a lot of things that I’m concerned about like human trafficking and slavery, China and ending the forever wars in the Middle East,” he said. “But I’m not a Trump fanboy. He said some things and did some things that I didn’t support. He made a lot of appointments in his first term that I don’t agree with.”

Following one of Tucker Carlson’s last acts as a Fox News host — his release of unseen Jan. 6 video from inside the Capitol — billionaire Elon Musk took a fleeting interest in Chansley.

“Musk was one of my strongest advocates and offered to pay my legal fees,” Chansley told The Post. “But he never reached out to me or my lawyer, upon my release.”

On Musk’s X, news of Chansley’s possible run for Congress is receiving some enthusiastic support.

“If he succeeds, that of course would be both a hilarious and glorious turn of events,” wrote one user.

“Got my vote!” exclaimed another.

“That’s awesome,” stated a third. “Go for it!”


Others were a bit skeptical of Chansley’s motivations.

“This man did not deserve any of the punishment that he received and I feel badly for him about that. But if he truly wants to win in the general election, he would run as a Republican,” said one user on X. “He will never win as a Libertarian, which makes me wonder if he’s just doing it for publicity.”

 

Melissa Fine
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